Bangladeshi photojournalist Mohammed Shajahan wins Photo of the Year award with his work 'Mom Love'

Bangladeshi Mohammed Shajahan's photo titled "Mom Love" won the Photo of the Year Award in the Istanbul Photo Awards, the seventh edition of the annual international photography contest held by Anadolu Agency to support photojournalists.

The COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world has shown one more time how photojournalists and press members continue doing their jobs with devotion under challenging conditions.

In this challenging period, Anadolu Agency's Istanbul Photo Awards contest keeps supporting the sector in the best terms.

The winners of the Istanbul Photo Awards, revealing its quality by being a global platform where 12,000 photographers have registered in its seventh year, have been chosen by the international jury consisting of the prestigious names of the world of photography.

Bangladeshi photographer Mohammed Shajahan's photograph titled "Mom Love," selected from among nearly 15,000 photographs submitted from different parts of the world, won the Photo of the Year 2021 award.

In the Single News category, AFP photojournalist Yuri Cortez deserved the second prize with his work in which he pictured the prisoners in the Quezaltepeque Prison in El Salvador.

AP photojournalist Petros Giannakouris won the third-place award with his photograph reflecting the difficulties faced by the refugees who fled the camp they had been located in Greece.

The photographs by Cortez and Giannakouris have shown that different agendas take place in the world as well.

Information related to the 2021 jury and award-winning photographs of the previous years can be accessed via the website (http://istanbulphotoawards.com).

Reuters photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, visual storyteller Marion Mertens, AFP Former Director of Photo Business Development Michel Scotto, author and photojournalist Deborah Copaken, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, photojournalist Ahmet Sel, Anadolu Agency Visual News Editor-in-Chief Hasan Oymez, and Anadolu Agency Photo Editor Firat Yurdakul took seats in the jury.

The jury members selected the winners through a platform that was designed exclusively for the contest by the Anadolu Agency Information Technologies team due to the pandemic.

'By taking the contest to the next level each year, we support news photography which witnesses the moments'

Regarding the contest, Anadolu Agency Chairman of the Board and Director-General Serdar Karagoz emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken hold of the whole world, once again revealed how difficult conditions photojournalists and press members continue to do their jobs with devotion.

"As Anadolu Agency, we continue supporting the sector with all-out strength through Istanbul Photo Awards contest. By taking the contest to the next level each year, we support news photography which witnesses the moments," he said.

Stating that nearly 15,000 photographs from different parts of the globe competed in the contest, Karagoz said, "Some 1,206 photographers of 96 different nationalities joined the contest with a total of 14,740 photographs.

Karagoz noted that the quality of the photographs submitted increased every year, and the jury members had great difficulty in selecting among them, and he continued:

"Becoming a platform where 12,000 photographers have registered in the seventh edition of the contest highlights the quality of Istanbul Photo Awards. Our jury -- consisted of the prestigious names of the world of photography -- selected the winners on a platform that we prepared specially due to the pandemic. I thank each of them for their contributions to the contest."

Jury of Anadolu Agency’s international news photo contest gathers online to review over 15,000 photos

The jury of the international news photo contest Istanbul Photo Awards 2021 have started to work on reviewing the works of participants on Tuesday.

For the seventh round of Anadolu Agency's contest, the jury sessions are held online due to the novel coronavirus measures.

The members of the jury, attending from six different countries, gathered to select last year's best photos.

This year's jury, involving prestigious names of the world of photography, comprise Reuters photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, visual storyteller Marion Mertens, AFP Former Director of Photo Business Development Michel Scotto, author and photojournalist Deborah Copaken, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, photojournalist Ahmet Sel, Anadolu Agency Visual News Editor-in-Chief Hasan Oymez, and Anadolu Agency Photo Editor Firat Yurdakul.

The sessions, held on a platform organized by Anadolu Agency exclusively for the contest, will last for three days.

Applications, with works reflecting global events, were submitted by March 18. The participants submitted nearly 15,000 photos in six categories: Single News, Single Sports, Story News, Story Sports, Story Daily Life, and Story Portrait.

The winners of the contest will be announced on May 11.

The winner of the Photo of the Year, also the Single News category first prize winner, will be awarded $6,000.

The winners in other categories will be awarded $3,000 for the first prize, $1,500 for the second, and $1,000 for the third. Only first place will be awarded in Story Daily Life and Story Portrait categories.

Over 1,200 professional photographers from almost 100 different countries apply this year's contest with nearly 15,000 shots

Applications for the Istanbul Photo Awards 2021 ended on Friday, an extra nine hours after the pre-determined deadline of March 18.

In its seventh round, the international news photography contest by Anadolu Agency met great interest in 2021, as it did in the previous years.

Professional photographers entered with their works reflecting global events over the last year from India to Italy, the US to China.

A total of 1,206 photographers of 96 different nationalities applied with 14,740 photographs after three months of applications.

Along with many award-winning photographers, a significant number of freelance journalists applied to the contest as well. Global media institutions and photography agencies also showed great interest in the contest.

Anadolu Agency's Director-General Senol Kazanci said it was a great achievement to reach such high participation in the competition amidst the global pandemic.

Kazanci underlined that humanity had experienced a turning point in its history since the last year's contest.

"Right at this point, nearly 15,000 photographs that keep the visual record of history have been submitted to the Istanbul Photo Awards 2021. As the jury, we will evaluate each of these photographs individually, and we'll work meticulously to choose among them," he said.

Thanking all the participants in the contest for reflecting the past year in which all travel, social life, and sports events came to a halt worldwide, Kazanci said: "Receiving almost 15,000 photographs for our contest despite the global situation at hand shows that the Istanbul Photo Awards has now become world-class."

"This spring, photography enthusiasts, photography artists, and photography veterans across the world will be watching the Istanbul Photo Awards," he continued.

As one of the significant photography contests open to professionals worldwide, the Istanbul Photo Awards is held annually to support press photography on all corners of the globe.

Having become a platform with over 12,000 users in seven years, the contest contributes to the sector of photography with not only the prizes it gives but also the exhibitions and photo albums that present the winning photographs.

Photographers applied to this year's contest in six categories, consisting of Single News, Single Sports, Story News, Story Sports, Story Daily Life, and Story Portrait.

The international jury will gather online to evaluate applications on May 4-6. The winners will be named on May 11 via the platform developed exclusively for the contest by the Anadolu Agency Information Technology team.

The "Photo of the Year" award will be given to the photograph ranked first in the Single News category, with the photographer to receive a prize of $6,000. The winners of each category will be awarded $3,000, while runners-up will get $1,500, and those in third place $1,000.

In Story Daily Life and Story Portrait categories, only first-prize winners will receive awards.

Information about the 2021 jury, consisting of the prestigious names in photography, as well as on the winning photographs of previous years, can be accessed on the contest's official website at www.istanbulphotoawards.com.

Seasoned Reuters photojournalist Goran Tomasevic joins this year’s jury of contest involving prestigious names

The jury for the international photography contest Istanbul Photo Awards 2021, organized by Anadolu Agency for the seventh time this year, has been announced.

This year's jury includes NOOR Agency Photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, Visual Storyteller Marion Mertens, AFP Former Director of Photo Business Development Michel Scotto, Author and Photojournalist Deborah Copaken, Getty Images Chief Sports Photojournalist Cameron Spencer, Photojournalist Ahmet Sel, Anadolu Agency Visual News Editor in Chief Hasan Oymez and Anadolu Agency Photo Editor Firat Yurdakul.

Goran Tomasevic, Reuters photojournalist who has covered the world's biggest stories for over 20 years, also joined the jury of the contest this year.

His photos, which have become some of the most enduring images of the conflicts fought in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, and photographic features from Africa bear witness to history and are published on international media.

Tomasevic's works have been recognized with many prestigious international awards such as the Pulitzer and World Press Photo. His works were exhibited at Czech Photo Gallery in 2012, Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents Club in 2014 and the annual Visapour l'Image festival in Perpignan multiple times.

The jury of the contest, which is participated by hundreds of professional photographers worldwide annually, will meet online on May 4 to 6.

The winners will be announced on May 11 after the selection process, followed on the platform specially prepared for the contest by the Anadolu Agency's dedicated tech team.

Information related to the jury members composed of a prestigious member of the world of photography can be accessed at www.istanbulphotoawards.com/Jury/.

Deadline for participation is March 18

Applications are open for professional photographers until March 18, via www.istanbulphotoawards.com.

The participants can apply with photographs concerning the year 2020 in six different categories: Single News, Story News, Single Sports, Story Sports, Story Daily Life, and Story Portrait.

The winner of Photo of the Year, who is Single News category first prize winner, will be awarded $6,000.

The winners in other categories will be awarded $3,000 for first prize, $1,500 for second prize, and $1,000 for third. Only first place will be awarded in Story Daily Life and Story Portrait categories.