32 photographers received awards in 10 categories

Winners of the international news photography contest the 10th İstanbul Photo Awards have been announced. 

Organized by Anadolu for the tenth time this year, 32 photographers received awards in 10 categories.

More than 20,000 photographs were submitted to the contest, and Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem's work titled "Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece" was deemed worthy of the "Photo of the Year" award in the competition.

The photo depicts a 36-year-old Palestinian Inas Abu Maamar embraces the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli attack at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the Southern Gaza Strip.

The winners of the İstanbul Photo Awards, which has become a global platform with 18,000 photographers registered since its first year, were determined by an international jury consisting of prestigious names from the photography world.

This year's jury brings together prestigious figures from the world of photography, including National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale, photojournalist Carol Guzy, NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, The Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, visual storyteller Marion Mertens, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, photojournalist Ahmet Sel, and Firat Yurdakul, Visual News Director of Anadolu.

The jury, gathered online, said that they were very impressed by the photos sent in the eliminations made through the platform specially prepared by the Anadolu’s Information Technologies team, and that they had difficulty in deciding when choosing the best photos.

In the "Story News" category, Agence France Press (AFP) photographer Mahmud Hams was awarded first place with his series about the Israeli administration's attacks on the Gaza Strip, which started on October 7.

Photographer Luca Bettini won first place in the "Single Sport" category with his work documenting Swiss cyclist Stefan Kung's accident at the 2023 UEC Road European Championship and continuing the race with a bloody face and a broken helmet.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Jeff Pachoud won first place in the "Story Sports" category with his photographs of the women's France cycling race.

Minqiang Lu, who photographed elephants looking for food in the garbage mountain in Sri Lanka, was awarded the first prize in the "Single Nature and Environment" category.

The jury also selected Garry Lotulung's work, which brings the nature conservation area affected by nickel mining to the agenda, as the winner of the "Story Nature and Environment" category.

The winner of "Single Portrait" was Emeke Obanor, who drew attention to the harms of using plastic bags.

Anna Surinyach won the first prize in the "Story Portrait" category with her work titled "Sea of Mourning".

In the "Single Daily Life" category, Associated Press (AP) photographer Ebrahim Noroozi received the first prize with his photo of Afghan children in a refugee camp.

Politiken photographer Mads Nissen won first place in the "Story Daily Life" category with his work on Mexican criminal organizations.

This year’s communication sponsor is Turkcell, which is supported by Sony as the award sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) as the international event sponsor and Turkish Airlines, the nation’s flag carrier, as the partial transportation sponsor.

In addition to the 30 awards given in 10 categories, the jury awarded Rajendra Mohan, for his discrimination-themed work on Indian widows, specifically for the 10th anniversary of the competition. 

Agence France-Press (AFP) photographer Sameer Al-Doumy, who documented the earthquake in Türkiye, was awarded in the Young Photographer award. 

In the contest, where a total of $60,000 was awarded, the first prize winners in all categories will also be presented with the SONY Alpha A7 III camera.

Information on all jury members of the contest and winning photos from previous years is available at istanbulphotoawards.com

Winners to be announced before the end of April after the 3-day selection process

The jury of the international news photography contest the 10th İstanbul Photo Awards gathered on Friday to decide the winning photos.

Organized by Anadolu for the tenth time this year, professional photographers applied to the contest from Nov. 17 to Jan. 17 with their photos covering global events of the past year.

Over 20,500 photos were sent by 1,817 professional photojournalists from 118 different nationalities to the contest, which was held to support press photography around the world

This year the competition accepted applications in ten categories: Single News, Story News, Single Sports, Story Sports, Single Nature and Environment, Story Nature and Environment, Single Portrait, Story Portrait, Single Daily Life, Story Daily Life.

The best photos of the year will be selected in online sessions, where jury members from six different countries will participate.

The winners will be announced before the end of April after a three-day selection process done through a platform specially prepared for the contest by Anadolu’s dedicated tech team.

This year's jury brings together prestigious figures from the world of photography, including National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale, photojournalist Carol Guzy, NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, The Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, visual storyteller Marion Mertens, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, photojournalist Ahmet Sel, and Firat Yurdakul, Visual News director of Anadolu.

This year’s main sponsorship is Turkcell, which is supported by Sony as the award sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) as the international event sponsor and Turkish Airlines, the nation’s flag carrier, as the partial transportation sponsor.

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

Winners in other categories will be awarded $3,000 for the first prize, $1,500 for the second prize, and $1,000 for the third. A total of $60,000 will be awarded in the contest. In addition to the awards, the first prize winner will be awarded Sony Alpha A7 III Body cameras this year.

The contest, now a dedicated platform with 18,000 users, contributes to photography with exhibits and photo albums containing award-winning photos, as well as the prize money it gives out.

Information on all jury members of the contest and winning photos from previous years is available at istanbulphotoawards.com.

- Prestigious jury members including Pulitzer and World Press Photo prize winners, continue participating in this year’s jury

- First prize winners in all categories will get Sony cameras besides the awards   

The jury for the İstanbul Photo Awards, organized this year for the tenth time by Anadolu, Türkiye’s premier news source, has been announced.

This year’s jury for the prestigious international photo contest includes NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, The Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, National Geographic photographer, filmmaker Ami Vitale, photojournalist Carol Guzy, visual storyteller Marion Mertens, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, Getty Images Chief Sports Photojournalist Cameron Spencer, photojournalist Ahmet Sel, and Firat Yurdakul, Visual News director of Anadolu.

Information on the jury members, all of whom are featuring star-studded figures from the photography world including Pulitzer and World Press Photo prize winners, can be accessed at istanbulphotoawards.com/Jury/.

There is no requirement for applicants to be affiliated with a press organization to apply for the contest, which is open only to the participation of professional photographers. Photographers can take part in the contest with newsworthy photographs taken between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023.

Entries are being accepted in 10 categories: Single News, Story News, Single Sports, Story Sports, Single Nature and Environment, Story Nature and Environment, Single Daily Life, Story Daily Life, as well as Single Portrait and Story Portrait.

Every photographer eligible to send four different pictures in single categories and two different series in the story categories. Each applicant has the opportunity to send a total of 120 photos to the contest, where each work in story categories must consist of 10 photos. Terms and conditions for applications can be found on the contest website.

The jury will award three submissions in each category besides two separate prizes especially for the decennial of the contest. The total amount of the prize is $60,000 for the 10th year contest. In addition to the awards, this year the first prize winners of all categories will be awarded SONY Alpha A7 III Body cameras.

This year’s contest is supported by Turkish technology firm Turkcell, Sony, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and Turkish Airlines, the nation’s flag carrier.

The contest jury, will award the best photos in April. Free applications are only available at istanbulphotoawards.com through Jan. 17. 

12-day exhibition welcomes visitors at Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Ada Ankara till Dec. 30

The Istanbul Photo Awards 2023 exhibition kicked off on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in the Turkish capital Ankara, with Anadolu's President and CEO Serdar Karagoz attending the opening ceremony.

The 12-day exhibition of the Istanbul Photo Awards 2023, an international news photography competition organized by Anadolu, opened in Ankara's Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Ada Ankara concert hall.

Speaking at the ceremony, Karagoz said the exhibition brings together the award-winning photographs from the Istanbul Photo Awards 2023 to share them with photography enthusiasts.

When international photo competitions examined, it becomes evident that images captured in war zones, conflicts, and crises often garner more attention compared to non-dramatic photos, he said.

Highlighting the preference for photos depicting distress over those displaying joy and hope, Karagoz said: "Although we know they might affect us negatively, we cannot help but look at these photos. Connecting with people and building strong empathy often comes from feeling their pain. This bond is most evident in photographs."

Karagoz recalled the intense attacks by Israel on Gaza since Oct. 7, emphasizing that revealing the reality of the war and establishing a connection among people with the suffering caused by this conflict is one of Anadolu's significant responsibilities.

Drawing attention to the significant number of casualties among journalists and media workers in Gaza, Karagoz emphasized the severity of the situation. "We are talking about a conflict where a total of 96 journalists lost their lives. Among these journalists is our colleague, cameraman Montaser Al-Sawaf, who was working in Gaza," he said.

Last week, Israeli forces assaulted Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf, who was working in occupied East Jerusalem, he said.

"On behalf of both Montaser Al-Sawaf and all our colleagues who lost their lives and were subjected to violence in the attacks of the Israeli government in Gaza, we will continue our struggle to ensure that those who carried out these attacks are held accountable under international law," he added.

Presenting the book titled Evidence, published by Anadolu, which features photos and visuals that vividly expose Israel's crimes in Gaza, Karagoz said the book, available in three languages – Turkish, English, and Arabic – has been distributed to national and international lawyers advocating for Palestinian rights.

Regarding the exhibition, Karagoz highlighted the diversity of submissions, saying he believes that the Istanbul Photo Awards, highly regarded by professional photographers, will reach even more photographers in 2024.

"Until now, photographers from around the world, including Brazil, Nepal, Canada, Nigeria, Japan, and Palestine, have applied to our competition," he said.

Organized with the support of Nikon Türkiye, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and Turkish Airlines, the contest delivered awards across 10 categories in this year's edition after the jury made its selection among 21,000 photo submissions.

The coveted Photo of the Year award went to Sergey Kozlov, a photographer from the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), for his work titled Ukraine-Russia War, as recognized by the international jury.

The exhibition, supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, will be open for visits until Dec. 30 at Ada Ankara concert hall.

The third exhibition of the Istanbul Photo Awards 2023, an international news photography contest, opened in London. The exhibition features the selection of works of 29 award-winning photographers in the contest organized by Anadolu until Dec. 15.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Turkish Ambassador to London Osman Koray Ertas defined the photos as powerful images that are impacting "all our daily lives and globally as well."

Saying that it is very difficult to reach the truth and the truth is "quite blurry," he added that the field of information has become another field of fighting in addition to conventional wars.

"In such environments, we are proud as a nation that we have a powerful, respectful and truthful news agency, not only for our country and people but globally serving for unleashing the truth," said Ertas.

Speaking about the situation in Gaza, he said that one part of the world turned a blind eye to what is happening, adding: "We are grateful to Anadolu to have a wide coverage of the plight of the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli state."

He also conveyed his condolences over the death of Montaser Al-Sawaf, an Anadolu freelance cameraman, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Friday. 

'Every photograph is also a piece of evidence' 

Speaking at the event, Anadolu's President and CEO Serdar Karagoz said: "As Anadolu, we have believed in the power of photography since our foundation in 1920."

He said that the agency has a 103-year visual archive of around 13 million photographs on its Anadolu Images platform while offering an average of 4,000 photos per day to the world.

Karagoz said that the Istanbul Photo Awards, which has been organized since 2015, is the biggest indicator of the agency's impact in the field of photography.

"We utilize the power of photography to reward and encourage photojournalists who work hard to practice their work in a variety of difficult circumstances," he stated.

Karagoz went on to say that the contest, in its 9th year, has grown to be "one of the most prominent news photography contests in the world," with 16,000 photographers having registered.

"The award-winning photographs span a wide range of subjects from the tragedy in Palestine, developments in Nigeria, to environmental changes related to lithium resources, natural wildlife conservation efforts in Thailand, the World Cup in Qatar, bullfighting in Portugal, icebreakers in the Arctic Ocean, and albinos in the African continent," he added.

Karagoz also pointed out that they have also included in the exhibition the previously awarded photographs showing "the bloody face of war in Palestine," following the Israeli attacks on Palestinians.

"Because every photograph is also a piece of evidence. As Anadolu, when lies are louder than the truth, we consider it our duty to defend the truth," he added.

He vowed to keep documenting and sharing every vicious act that disregards international law and human rights.

"International justice will prevail sooner or later, and when those who kill babies, children, and civilians are taken to court, these photographs will be the most significant proof," he underlined.

Karagoz also reminded that the applications for the 10th Istanbul Photo Awards have begun which will continue until Jan. 17. He invited all professional photographers to participate in Istanbul Photo Awards. 

'Recording such moments extends their impact thousands fold'

For his part, Mehmet Karakus, director of Yunus Emre Institute London, said that they feel "very privileged to host such a prestigious exhibition" in their center.

Reminding a proverb, "(spoken) words fly away, written ones remain," he said that this is not just a personal reminder of the power of words, but an indicator of the importance of recording "what occurs around us."

Referring to the selected photos at the exhibition, Karakus said that recording such moments extends their impact "thousands-fold, creating the potential for inspiration, change, and progress."

Speaking to Anadolu at the exhibition, photographer Alex Broadway, who won the 3rd Prize in the Single Sports category in this year’s contest, said it is a “prestigious” and “great competition.”

The coveted Photo of the Year award went to Sergey Kozlov, a photographer from the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), for his work titled Ukraine-Russia War, as recognized by the international jury.

Organized with the support of Nikon Türkiye, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and Turkish Airlines, the contest delivered awards across 10 categories in this year's edition after the jury made its selection among 21,000 photo submissions.

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