Turkevi Center hosts 10th anniversary exhibition of İstanbul Photo Awards in New York

Exhibit highlights humanitarian crisis in Gaza, showcases impactful images, including award-winning work by Palestinian photographer Mohammed Salem




The second exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the İstanbul Photo Awards opened Tuesday in New York. The international news photography contest organized by Anadolu at the Turkevi Center featured dignitaries including Türkiye's Consul General in New York Muhittin Ahmet Yazal and UN envoy Ahmet Yıldız.


Anadolu's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Serdar Karagöz emphasized the documentary power of photography, highlighting that the selected works document human suffering while building a collective memory.


Karagöz announced that this year’s "Photo of the Year" award went to Palestinian photographer Mohammed Salem for "Palestinian Woman Holding Her Nephew's Dead Body."


"Our mission at AA is to make these events visible, just as we have done by presenting the genocide in Gaza to the world for the past year. Every frame that makes this genocide visible on a global scale and gives voice to silenced realities is extremely important to us," said Karagoz.



Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansur expressed gratitude for the section of the exhibit depicting genocide in Palestine, especially photographs related to Gaza.


Following the opening of the exhibition, Anadolu screened the documentary "The Evidence," which exposes war crimes by Israel in Gaza.

The exhibition includes photographs documenting global events from the last year, covering topics from humanitarian crises to sporting achievements. It will be open to the public from November 7 - 12 at the Blue Gallery on 46th Street in Manhattan.




The contest is supported by Turkcell as the communication sponsor, Sony as the award sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) as the overseas event sponsor, and Turkish Airlines (THY) as the airline sponsor.

 

For more information about the competition and to view the winning photos, please visit https://istanbulphotoawards.com/.

 

İstanbul Photo Awards ‘one of the good’ contests for journalists: Prize-winning journalist

‘My story was a local story, but it has a general view for all people, all around the world,’ says Yalda Moaiery




The İstanbul Photo Awards is “one of the good” contests that holds significant importance globally for journalists, said a photojournalist who won during the 2024 competition from Iran.

“This is a very important competition all around the world, especially for the Iranian photographers. This is one of the good competitions for photojournalists in the Middle East,” Yalda Moaiery, winner of the 3rd prize in the story portrait category at the international news photography contest organized by Anadolu, said.

Sharing her journey of becoming a photojournalist with Anadolu after winning the 10th annual edition, Moaiery said she wanted to show the world the “pain and sorrow of all the people around the world” through her lenses.

She said she always has tried to tell stories that have influence across the world to “show war” all around the world.

“My story was a local story, but it has a general view for all people, all around the world,” she said, adding that somehow her local story turned into a “worldwide story.”

As a female journalist, she always has tried to focus on problems that women around the world face through her pictures.

“As a female photojournalist, I want to focus on their stories. Maybe it's because of the gender, their pain is my pain. I want to show their problems, their issues, to the world,” she said.

She pointed out that there are women photojournalists across the world who want to show people “how much problems women have all around the world.”


İstanbul Photo Awards

The 10th anniversary of the İstanbul Photo Awards, organized by the Turkish international news agency Anadolu is a contest for photojournalists from around the world to share their photographs with the world.

The contest, which evaluates single and series photographs in news, sports, environment, portrait and daily life categories, received more than 20,000 submissions this year.

A total of 32 photographers were awarded prizes in 10 categories.

This year, the competition was sponsored by Turkcell as the communication sponsor, Sony as the award sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency as the overseas events sponsor and Turkish Airlines as the airline sponsor.

Changing lenses: How the İstanbul Photo Awards is shaping a new vision for photojournalism


- The Istanbul Photo Awards, a global photography competition, is challenging traditional narratives by showcasing diverse perspectives from around the world in categories like news, sports, and daily life


- This year’s 10th edition saw over 20,000 submissions, with award-winning photojournalist Anna Surinyach’s 'Sea of Mourning' highlighting the often-overlooked victims of Mediterranean migration


- 'During the 20th century, most of the views of the world that we received as a society through competitions were homogenous, generally those of white, Western, upper-middle class men,' Surinyach tells Anadolu, adding: 'Fortunately, this is changing'






 In Istanbul, a bustling city straddling two continents, a global photography competition is helping redefine how we see the world in the news.


Moments both mundane and extraordinary are submitted every year to the annual İstanbul Photo Awards, which, according an award-winning photojournalist, reflects a changing narrative in the discipline, moving away from the homogenous perspectives of the 20th century dominated by “white, Western, upper-middle-class men.”


Spanning categories such as news, sports, nature and environment, portrait, and daily life, the competition includes both single and story entries. This year’s 10th annual edition of the event drew an array of over 20,000 submissions from around the world, with 32 photographers receiving awards in 10 categories.


One of them was Anna Surinyach, who won first prize in the Story Portrait category this year with her entry “Sea of Mourning,” showcasing haunting snapshots of some of the victims of the Mediterranean migration route to Europe beneath the waves.


In an interview with Anadolu for World Photography Day, Surinyach, 39, emphasized the increased visibility that winning in a contest like the Istanbul Photo Awards gives a story.


“Since 2012 I have photographed people who are forced to leave their homes for multiple reasons associated with violence and many of them die or disappear in the attempt, especially at sea,” she pointed out, criticizing the fact that their deaths “are too often ignored by the mainstream media.”




- Shifting perceptions


As a photojournalist, Surinyach feels compelled to keep telling their stories in innovative ways.


For her, one of the main objectives of photography is “to raise questions and to show to the general public stories in a way that maybe they have never seen before.”


Praising the Istanbul Photo Awards contest, which Anadolu organizes, she said it was “important that competitions like this help define the world in the most honest way possible.”


“During the 20th century, most of the views of the world that we received as a society through competitions were homogenous, generally those of white, Western, upper-middle class men,” she explained.


“Fortunately, this is changing in recent years and the winners of the Istanbul Photo Awards are proof of this … Only with a variety of views can we understand the complex world we live in.”


On Sea of Mourning, Surinyach said the hardest part of the project was dealing with the uncertainty relatives feel while looking for their missing relatives who attempted to make the treacherous journey overseas for a life free of violence and poverty.


Recalling her experience related to one of the subjects, she said:


“When we met Maymouna’s mother in Senegal, who disappeared in September 2022 on a boat heading to the Canary Islands, she thought that her daughter was in a prison on one of the islands.”


However, Maymouna’s name was never found in any official records, she lamented. “Neither hers, nor those of the 57 people who were travelling on that boat.”


Surinyach expressed the heartbreak of seeing a mother with no information about her beloved daughter and no institution to approach for answers for two months.


“She did not know where to start looking,” she said.




- 2024 İstanbul Photo Awards


İstanbul Photo Awards exhibition showcases a powerful array of images capturing significant global events from the past year. The collection includes poignant photographs documenting Israel’s ongoing attacks in Palestinian territories and the aftermath of devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye, dubbed the “disaster of the century.”


Besides Surinyach’s work on plight of migrants in Spanish waters, visitors also find images exploring the complexities of Mexican cartels, the stark realities of Afghan refugee camps, and the environmental impact of plastic use in Nigeria. Elephants navigating Sri Lankan landfills, world swimming championships in Japan, and the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament are also featured in the collection, as well as sobering depictions of discrimination in India.



This year’s communication sponsor was Turkish GSM operator Turkcell, while Sony was the competition’s award sponsor. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) was the sponsor for its overseas events and Turkish Airlines served as airline sponsor.

‘Images can change world’: Veteran photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev


'What’s happening in Palestine is genocide, power of photography still exists,’ Yuri Kozyrev tells Anadolu


Yuri Kozyrev, a jury member of the Istanbul Photo Awards and a veteran photojournalist, expressed his belief that the horrific images coming from Palestine can mobilize people and potentially change the world. 

"I think we can absolutely call what’s happening in Palestine 'genocide,' without a doubt, and the power of photography still exists," Kozyrev told Anadolu after attending "Istanbul Photo Awards Talks" where experienced photographers shared their experiences.

"I remember Eddie Adams' photo showing the execution of Vietnamese people in 1968. Yes, that photo somehow caught the attention of students, and then people went out to protest the war in Vietnam," Kozyrev recalled.

"We have students protesting the war in Palestine. I believe they have seen the horrific images coming from Palestine. This drives them to go out and do something,” he stressed.

“Therefore, I believe these powerful images can change the world," Kozyrev said.

Kozyrev also hailed Mohammed Salem, who won the "Photo of the Year" award with his image titled “A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece.”

"I think Mohammed captured an iconic image. It says a lot. And at the same time, it’s not crude, raw, or straightforward. It conveys so much in a very delicate way. You understand what’s happening there," he noted.

"Most of the photographers applying from Palestine are locals. They are trapped there. So they are not outsiders. They are trying to do their jobs despite all this tragedy," Kozyrev explained.

Kozyrev underlined that journalists who have no choice but to stay in Gaza are showing the world what is happening on the ground.

"They need to take care of their families. The conditions they work under are absolutely incredible. When most of us go to conflict zones, we have a return ticket; they don’t," according to Kozyrev.


- Istanbul Photo Awards

The first exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Photo Awards, organized by Turkish international news agency Anadolu, opened Monday.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul, jury members of the competition, winning photographers, members of the international press and many others from the world of photography attended the opening of the exhibition and award ceremony featuring this year's award-winning photographs.

The competition, which evaluates single and series photographs in the categories of news, sports, environment, portrait and daily life, received over 20,000 submissions this year. A total of 32 photographers were awarded in 10 categories.

This year, the competition was sponsored by Turkcell as the communication sponsor, Sony as the award sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency as the overseas events sponsor, and Turkish Airlines as the airline sponsor.

Supported by the Rami Library, the exhibition features photos covering global events from last year, including Israel's ongoing attacks in Palestine and the earthquakes in Türkiye, described as the "Disaster of the Century," as well as on subjects including Mexican crime organizations, refugee camps in Afghanistan, plastic usage in Nigeria, the lives of elephants in Sri Lanka's landfills, the world swimming championships in Japan, the Wimbledon tennis tournament, discrimination in India, and migrants who died in Spanish waters.

Information about the award-winning photos can be found on istanbulphotoawards.com and the exhibition will be open until June 23 at the Rami Library's F3 hall.


Veteran photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev attends İstanbul Photo Awards Talks



Yuri Kozyrev, a jury member of the İstanbul Photo Awards and and veteran photojournalist, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 held a special talk. The İstanbul Photo Awards Talks were hosted at the Rami Library on the contest's 10th anniversary.

The talk was moderated by Anadolu photojournalist Arif Hudaverdi Yaman.

In a career spanning several decades, Kozyrev documented major conflicts.

Kozyrev said that when the opportunity came to visit Iraq in 2002, he knew very little about the region.

"I managed to be in Iraq before the war and made connections without knowing that the war would start,” Kozyrev said.

“I lived there. Even though I was not on assignment, I stayed in Iraq for three months because I thought spending more time there was interesting,” he recalled.

“Then I began to prepare for the big story and knew that it would be my story," said Kozyrev.

The first exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the İstanbul Photo Awards, organized by Turkish international news agency Anadolu, opened Monday.

İstanbul Governor Davut Gul, jury members of the contest, winning photographers, members of the international press and many others from the world of photography attended the opening of the exhibition and award ceremony featuring this year's award-winning photographs.

The contest, which evaluates single and series photographs in the categories of news, sports, environment, portrait and daily life, received over 20,000 submissions this year. A total of 32 photographers were awarded in 10 categories.

This year, the contest was sponsored by Turkcell as the communication sponsor, Sony as the award sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) as the overseas events sponsor, and Turkish Airlines (THY) as the airline sponsor.

Supported by the Rami Library, the exhibition features photos covering global events from last year including Israel's ongoing attacks in Palestine and the earthquakes in Türkiye, described as the "Disaster of the Century," as well as on subjects including Mexican crime organizations, refugee camps in Afghanistan, plastic usage in Nigeria, the lives of elephants in Sri Lanka's landfills, the world swimming championships in Japan, the Wimbledon tennis tournament, discrimination in India, and migrants who died in Spanish waters.

Information about the award-winning photos can be found on istanbulphotoawards.com and the exhibition will be open until June 23 at the Rami Library's F3 hall.