Anadolu Agency becomes the first professional participator from Turkey to enter the international festival in France.

The Anadolu Agency will open a stand at Visa Pour l'Image, one of the most prominent international photojournalism festivals, which is attended by leading photojournalists, news agencies, newspapers and magazines.

AA, the first professional Turkish participant in the festival, which is held in southern French city of Perpignan city, will promote Anadolu Images, the agency's new photo portal. It will also promote the Istanbul Photo Awards, an international photograph competition the agency will organize in 2015, to be held Sept. 1-7. 

The Anadolu Agency will hold the Istanbul Photo Awards in the scope of its centennial vision, according to which it aims to become one of the world’s top five news agencies by 2020, the 100th anniversary of its founding.

AA is already a well-established global news agency, offering newswires in seven languages with operations spreading around the globe, including in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Asia-Pacific. It serves business customers in more than 100 countries.

Participation in the festival is expected to help AA achieve its aim of having a say in the global photo distribution network. 

AA Visual News Editor-in-Chief Ahmet Sel will represent the agency during the festival. Agency Deputy Director-General Yilmaz Yaman will attend, as well. Director-General and Board Chairman Kemal Ozturk will also visit the festival. 

Anadolu Agency's photos from conflict zones will be projected on a huge screen during “projection nights” at the festival. A slide show of the photos taken by AA photojournalists in Syria, under the name "Aleppo, Wounded City," will be shown in Perpignan's amphitheater on Sept. 6.

The festival, held since 1989, is visited by around 150,000 people each year. 

The Anadolu Agency to participate for the first time in the international photojournalism festival.

The Anadolu Agency will participate for the first time in the Visa Pour l'Image 2014 Perpignan international photojournalism festival together with world’s leading news agencies and photojournalists.

Exhibitions of Visa Pour l'Image will be open from Aug. 30 to Sept. 14 in Perpignan, a city in southern France. The festival, held since 1989, is visited by around 150,000 people each year.

Anadolu Agency will participate for the first time in the professional week of the festival to be held from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7.

Anadolu Agency's Deputy Director-General Yilmaz Yaman, Visual News Editor-in-Chief Ahmet Sel together with marketing units of the agency will take part in the “Anadolu Images” stand.

Anadolu Agency Director-General and Board Chairman Kemal Ozturk will visit the important festival.

Anadolu Agency photojournalists' photos from conflict zones will be also be projected on a huge screen during “projection nights” of the festival.

Anadolu Agency, during the days of Visa Pour l'Image festival, will also promote the “Istanbul Photo Awards,” to be held in 2015.

Anadolu Agency is to hold the "Istanbul Photo Awards" in the scope of its centennial vision, aiming to become one of the world’s top five news agencies by 2020, its 100th anniversary.

Istanbul Photo Awards reward endeavors of courageous and talented photojournalists from around the world on merit. 

Istanbul Photo Awards is an international news photography contest organized by Anadolu Agency. The contest aims to contribute to the sphere of news photography and offers a perspective shaped by the region’s unique position at the center of diverse cultures. The awards reward endeavors of courageous and talented photojournalists from around the world on merit. Every year the contest reaches more photographers around the world with more exhibitions, workshops and talks.

Every year online applications are accepted between Nov. 1- Jan. 31 via http://istanbulphotoawards.com. The results of the contest announced by the end of March each year. After the winner announcements the winning photographs are being displayed at significant galleries around the world.