near. prize 2026 winner: Nathalie Bissig
We’re delighted to announce that Nathalie Bissig has won the near. prize 2026 for her project The Wolves, an ongoing black-and-white series shot in the Canton of Uri exploring Alpine myths and legends and what it means to return to one’s own roots.
Nathalie will present The Wolves in a dedicated exhibition at Galerie & Edition Stephan Witschi this November — details to follow!
The jury also awarded four special mentions this year: Florian Lüthi for Meteor Ghosts, Lisa Bertoldi for tenersi stretto, Olga Bushkova for Photo at 12, and Misha Bushkov for The black rat has died.
We’re grateful to this year’s jury for their time and thoughtful discussion, and to every near. member who submitted a project this year. Congratulations to Nathalie and to all four special mentions!