Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras wins Photo of the Year award for his work titled ‘Gaza-Deir al-Balah’ 

The winners of the prestigious İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 were announced on March 21, recognizing outstanding achievements in international news photography.

Organized by Anadolu for the 11th year, the contest awarded 29 photographers across 10 categories, with around 22,000 photographs submitted from around the world.

The coveted Photo of the Year award was given to Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras for his poignant work titled “Gaza-Deir al-Balah.” The image captures a heart-wrenching moment as parents embrace their child following an Israeli airstrike on their tent in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

Since its inception, the İstanbul Photo Awards has grown into a global platform, attracting 20,000 registered photographers.

This year’s winners were selected by an esteemed international jury, including National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale, photojournalist Carol Guzy, NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, The Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, and Turkish photojournalists Ahmet Sel and Firat Yurdakul.

In the Story News category, Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Omar Al-Qattaa secured first place with his series documenting Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Single Sports category winner was AFP’s Jerome Brouillet, who captured a shot of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina reacting to a massive wave at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Reuters photographer Hannah McKay took top honors in the Story Sports category with her series on American gymnast Simone Biles, who won three gold medals, individually, and led her team to victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Single Nature & Environment category was won by European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) photographer Anton Brink, who captured a striking image of a volcanic eruption near Grindavik, Iceland. AFP’s Luis Tato was awarded first place in the Story Nature & Environment category for his impactful series on the devastating floods in East Africa.

In the Single Portrait category, Italian photographer Mauro De Bettio won for his portrait of women in Afghanistan. The Story Portrait category was claimed by Samar Abu Elouf with her series “Gaza War Survivors,” created for The New York Times.

The Single Daily Life category, named in memory of visual storyteller Marion Mertens, a former jury member who passed away in December 2024, awarded its first prize to Mahmoud Zaki Salem Issa for his powerful image of the hunger crisis in Palestine. Italian photographer Valentina Sinis won the Story Daily Life category for her series on the life stories of Afghan women.

A total of $58,000 was awarded across 30 prizes, with winning photographs set to be featured at international exhibitions and the annual İstanbul Photo Awards album.

This year’s contest is supported by Turkcell as the communication sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) as the overseas event sponsor, and Turkish Airlines as the airline sponsor.

More information on the winning photographs and jury members can be found at istanbulphotoawards.com

The İstanbul Photo Awards has become a cornerstone of global photojournalism, celebrating the art of visual storytelling while shedding light on critical issues worldwide.

Anadolu’s international news photography contest draws nearly 2,000 photographers from 114 countries

The jury for the 2025 İstanbul Photo Awards, an international contest organized by Anadolu, began evaluating entries to select the year’s best photojournalism on Wednesday.

The jury, comprising renowned professionals from six countries, held the online session through a platform specially prepared by Anadolu for the contest, with deliberations set to continue over two days.

This year’s prominent jury features photojournalist Carol Guzy, Yuri Kozyrev from NOOR Agency, The Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, Getty Images Chief Sports Photojournalist Cameron Spencer and Turkish photojournalists Ahmet Sel and Firat Yurdakul.

The contest received 21,558 entries showcasing last year’s global events from 1,966 photographers across 114 nations, between Nov. 18, 2024 and Jan. 13, 2025.

Submissions were accepted in 10 categories, including Single News, Story News, Single Sports, Story Sports, Single Nature and Environment, Story Nature and Environment, Single Portrait, Story Portrait, Single Daily Life, and Story Daily Life.

The Single Daily Life category has been renamed in honor of Marion Mertens, a visual storyteller and former jury member who passed away in December 2024.

Winners will be announced on March 21, with a total of $58,000 in prizes awarded.

The Photo of the Year winner will receive $6,000, while first, second, and third-place finishers in each category will earn $3,000, $1,500, and $1,000, respectively.

Supported by Turkcell as the communications sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) as the overseas events sponsor, and Turkish Airlines as the airline sponsor, the contest has grown into a global platform with over 20,000 participants since its inception.

İstanbul Photo Awards not only celebrates outstanding photojournalism but also contributes to the field through exhibitions and photo albums featuring winning works.

Past award-winning photographs can be viewed at istanbulphotoawards.com.

İstanbul Photo Awards, organized by Anadolu, has become a prestigious platform for photojournalists worldwide, highlighting the power of visual storytelling in documenting global events.

Book features award-winning, finalist photos from global competition between 2015 and 2024

The İstanbul Photo Awards has released The First Ten Years, a special volume to commemorate a decade of its prestigious international photojournalism competition.

Organized by Anadolu, the İstanbul Photo Awards has been a significant platform for photojournalists worldwide. The newly published book compiles some of the most striking images from the first decade of the competition.

With support from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the special edition is available from better booksellers.

The book features award-winning and finalist photographs from the competition between 2015 and 2024, along with insights from jury members who played a role in selecting the most compelling images each year.

The introduction of The First Ten Years includes a collection of images selected as the Photos of the Year from 2015 to 2024. It also features a foreword by Anadolu President and CEO Serdar Karagoz, who highlights the competition’s impact on international press photography.

According to Karagoz, more than 18,000 photojournalists have submitted over 125,000 photographs over the past decade.

The book also pays tribute to Marion Mertens, who served as the jury president from 2017 to 2024 and passed away last December. Her dedication to the competition is honored through a special introduction she wrote for the book’s 10th anniversary edition.

Her introduction reflects on the privilege of judging such a high-quality photo competition.

A huge thank you to everyone for your incredible interest!  Entries are now closed for İstanbul Photo Awards 2025.  

1993 new accounts  
1966 photographers from 114 countries  
Around 22000 photos across 10 categories

Winners will be announced in March.

This year’s Single Daily Life category is dedicated to Marion Mertens, whose legacy will continue to inspire.

Stay tuned for more updates!

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Marion Mertens, member of the İstanbul Photo Awards jury from 2017 to 2024. She hold the position as the chair of the Jury five times during this period.

Marion’s career spanned various roles in journalism and photojournalism, including significant contributions to publications. She was known for her strong editorial judgment and her commitment to recognizing impactful visual stories. Mertens is best known for her role as an editor at Paris Match, one of France’s leading magazines.

Marion started her career at the news desk at Gamma later moving to picture editor at Le Figaro magazine in 1988. Marion then went on to be assignment editor at Gamma in 1990 before going back to magazines, first to VSD and then to Paris-March from 1998 to 2023. She was the deputy editor for 15 years before assigned as the Senior Digital Editor.

During her tenure, she was a strong advocate for photojournalists and field reporters, working to ensure their work was accurately represented and widely recognized. Her editorial leadership played a key role particularly in covering major international events, including political stories, presidential campaigns, and global crises. She was noted for her ability to balance coverage of large-scale political events with in-depth human-interest stories.

In addition to her work at Paris Match, Mertens was also active in the digital media landscape. She embraced new platforms and technologies, understanding their potential to reshape storytelling in modern journalism. Mertens adapted to the changing media environment, combining traditional reporting techniques with digital innovations to ensure broad, global reach for significant stories. As a visual storyteller, she opened her personel photo exhibition in Paris named "Lumieres De La Vie" in June 2024.

As İstanbul Photo Awards Team, we are proud to have had Marion Mertens as part of our jury for so many years. Her legacy will continue to inspire future generations of photographers and journalists, and her influence will be felt for years to come.

We extend our deepest condolences to Marion’s family, friends, and colleagues.

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