We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026  İstanbul Photo Awards!

Haitham Imad, EPA, was awarded Photo of the Year in with the photo from Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Congratulations to the 26 photographers who won a total of 30 awards across 10 categories.

For more details read the news: http://v.aa.com.tr/3884671 

The jury for İstanbul Photo Awards 2026 began evaluating entries to select the year’s best photos.

The winners will be announced at the end of March.

Read the news for more; http://v.aa.com.tr/3856487

We are grateful for the strong global response once again.

Entries are now officially closed for 2026 contest.

 1333 new accounts

 1586 photographers from 113 countries

 Around 19,000 photos submitted across 10 categories

 Winners will be announced in March — stay tuned!

This year’s contest jury welcomes two internationally well known visual storytellers Nicole Tung and Muhammed Muheisen.

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

Read the news for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3777477

The exhibition of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 opened at the  PONS Foundation with a ceremony hosted by Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagöz.

Mr. Miguel Ángel Oliver, President of Agencia EFE, and Her Excellency Mrs. Nüket Küçükel Ezberci, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Spain, numerous ambassadors, diplomats, international representatives, academics, media professionals, and guests have attended the ceremony.

Exhibition featuring striking visual stories from Gaza, East Africa, and Iceland open through the end of November.

Read the news for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3749416

Exhibition featuring striking visual stories from Gaza, East Africa, and Iceland open through Oct. 31 at UN Headquarters after being displayed at Blue Gallery for a week.

The third stop of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 exhibitions was New York. Selection of award-winning photos displayed at Blue Gallery between Oct. 20-26. The exhibition moved to United Nations headquarters for a second showing. 

‘Stirring to walk through the UN exhibition in NY and view the powerful images of so many dedicated, courageous photojournalists,’ says Carol Guzy, a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and jury member during her visit to the exhibition. 

From war-scarred memories in Georgia to powerful portraits of Afghan women under Taliban rule, İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 winners show how photography stands as a tool of truth in times of repression.

Marylise Vigneau, winner of the Single Portrait 2nd Prize, and Valentine Sinis, recipient of the Story Daily Life 1st Prize, noted that the international visibility of the Istanbul Photo Awards helps bring attention to the important issues they document, amplifying stories that might otherwise remain unheard.

Read the news and discover more: v.aa.com.tr/3715686

‘Photography is not only a powerful medium for telling other people's stories, but also a window for communicating what I see through their eyes,’ says award-winning photographer Cristopher Rogel, winner of the second prize in the Story Sports category

‘Photography can foster feelings of solidarity, awaken awareness, and provoke public discourse,’ award-winning photographer Michael Pappas, winner of the second prize in the Story Portrait category

Read the interview to learn more:  http://v.aa.com.tr/3692371

İstanbul exhibition’s official event of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025, was hosted at Dolmabahce Art Gallery.

The program was attended by many international representatives and officials from institutions and organizations, academics and prominent figures from the international press and photography world.

Learn more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3679641

Selection of award-winning photos on display in İstanbul from August 26 to September 7

The second exhibition of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025, an international photojournalism contest organized by Anadolu since 2015, opened on Tuesday at Dolmabahce Art Gallery in Istanbul.

The exhibition offers a compelling visual narrative of key global events captured by 29 award-winning photographers. Exhibition is open to visit until September 7, 2025.

Read the news for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3669166

Palestinian photojournalist Mahmoud Zaki Salem Issa captured the heartbreaking reality of Gaza’s hunger crisis, earning first prize in the Marion Mertens Single Daily Life category at 2025 İstanbul Photo Awards.

His image, A Humanitarian Crisis: Starvation and Blockade, shows people rushing with empty pots in search of food under siege and famine. “I hope this photo will be a reason to stop the war on the people of Gaza,” Issa said. Sometimes, a single image can become the world’s witness — and its conscience.

2025 Photobook is out now! Featuring award-winning frames that capture the world’s most powerful moments. From conflict zones to climate stories, discover the year’s most striking photojournalism. To browse the digital version: http://istanbulphotoawards.com/book

Ankara exhibition’s official event of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025, was hosted at CSO Ada Ankara. The program was attended by many ambassadors, officials from institutions and organizations, academics and prominent figures from the international press and photography world.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until July 20.

Learn more; http://v.aa.com.tr/3626572

“I believe news photography holds immense power and responsibility. It is our way of showing the world what is happening, especially in places where people are suffering, and voices are being silenced,” Marion Mertens Single Daily Life Second Prize Winner Sameer Al-Doumy from AFP

“The journalism I believe in stands in contrast to this logic; it is journalism that requires time. Time to empathize with people, time to listen to stories, and time to understand the culture before being able to document it,” Story Daily Life 3rd Prize Winner Fabio Bucciarelli from La Republic.

Selection of award-winning photos on display in Turkish capital from June 10 to July 20

The first exhibition of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025, an international photojournalism contest organized by Anadolu since 2015, opened in Ankara.

Hosted at the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Ada Ankara concert hall, the exhibition features award-winning works by 29 photographers selected from this year’s contest.

Read the news for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3593744

“News photography serves as a guarantee of reality in the digital age.”

This powerful message comes from the Sports Category first-prize winners of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 Hannah McKay, Reuters and Jerome Brouillet, AFP , who remind us of the enduring truth and impact of photojournalism.

Discover their stories and the moments they captured:

http://v.aa.com.tr/3575830

Palestinian photographers Saeed Jaras and Samar Abu Elouf underscores photography's power to give voice to voiceless.

Visual storytelling is important in shedding light on harsh realities, said Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras, who won the Photo of the Year award at İstanbul Photo Awards 2025.

“My emotions were deeply heavy as I took photos and listened to the stories of the wounded Palestinians,” said Samar Abu Elouf, Story Portrait First Prize Winner. 

Read the interview for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3562849

Tato earned two major honors at this year’s awards: first prize in the Story Nature & Environment category for his documentation of Kenya’s devastating floods, and third prize in the Marion Mertens Single Daily Life category for his uplifting human-centered photo titled Brass for Africa, taken in Uganda.

Read the interview for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3541277

Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras wins Photo of the Year award for his 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.

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.

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.

Read the news for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3516088

International 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. 

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.

This year the contest is 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.

Learn more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3507497

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.

Read for more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3432360 

The İstanbul Photo Awards, a prestigious international photo contest organized by Anadolu, revealed its jury lineup for 2025 on Monday.

After celebrating its 10th anniversary, the contest once again brings together an esteemed panel of experts, including Pulitzer Prize and World Press Photo winners, renowned for their work in sports, environmental, portrait, and conflict photography.

Learn more about the jury: https://istanbulphotoawards.com/Jury/

The fourth event marking the 10th anniversary of Anadolu's İstanbul Photo Awards began in Ankara on December 11th evening. Held at the CerModern Arts Center, the exhibition showcases award-winning photographs from the globally renowned news photography competition.

With this display, Ankara follows Istanbul, New York, and Brussels, where previous exhibitions were held. The opening ceremony was attended by Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagoz, Palestinian Ambassador to Türkiye Faed Mustafa, Serbian Ambassador to Türkiye Aca Jovanovic, and Nicaraguan Ambassador to Türkiye Tatiana Daniela Garcia along with the award-winning photographer Adem Altan and seasoned photographer Ozan Sağdıç. 

For more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3422921 

'To be recognized by this panel of jury is very important and also encourages me to continue my work,' says Natalya Saprunova, winner of Story Daily Life 2nd Prize of İstanbul Photo Awards 10th Year, to Anadolu.

Find more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3388636 

Octavian Lazar, a hotel manager visiting Brussels from Bucharest, Romania, said he attended with his wife, who is a painter, and found the works deeply moving. "We've ended up very impressed with everything with art on the walls here,” Lazar told Anadolu.

Read the news for more details: http://v.aa.com.tr/3383942 

The second exhibition of the 10th anniversary of the İstanbul Photo Awards, organized by Anadolu, opened at the Turkevi Center, New York.

We are glad to welcome United Nations’ Missions, ambassadors, academics, members of the international press and many others from the photography world.

The exhibition will be open to visit between 7-12 November 2024 at Blue Gallery, Manhattan, New York.

You may find details via http://v.aa.com.tr/3363564

“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.

Find more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3337512 

The first exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the İstanbul Photo Awards, organized by Anadolu, opened at the Rami Library for art enthusiasts.

İstanbul Governor Davut Gul, jury members of the competition, winning photographers, members of the international press and many others from the photography world attended the opening of the exhibition and award ceremony featuring this year's award-winning photographs. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, there was also a digital area for the past years.

Read more:  http://v.aa.com.tr/3246096

İstanbul Photo Awards jury gathers to pick 2024 winners. Winners to be announced before the end of April after the 3-day selection process.

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’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.

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.

Read more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3184528 

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

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. 

Read more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3095695 

Ankara is the fourth stop of the Istanbul Photo Awards 2023 exhibitions. The exhibition will be open between 19-30 Dec. 2023 at CSO Ada Ankara.

Read More: http://v.aa.com.tr/3087447 

The third edition of the 2023 Istanbul Photo Awards, an international news photography competition organized by Anadolu, opened on Dec.5, 2023 in London. The exhibition will run through Dec. 15 at Yunus Emre Institute.

Read more:  http://v.aa.com.tr/3074194  

Applications open for 10th annual İstanbul Photo Awards. Prizes worth $60,000 to be distributed in contest that would feature newsworthy photos taken in 2023. 

Applications are only available at istanbulphotoawards.com through Jan. 17.

The second edition of the 2023 Istanbul Photo Awards, an international news photography competition organized by Anadolu, opened on Nov.1, 2023 in New York. The exhibition will run through Nov. 8 at the Blue Gallery.

Read more: http://v.aa.com.tr/3041277 

The annual photobook of Istanbul Photo Awards consisting of the award winning photos of the contest in now available for 2023.

You may review the photobook via photobook page of the web site

The first exhibition of 2023 contest opened at Tophane-i amire Culture and Art Center, İstanbul, Türkiye. The opening ceremony held on September 12, 2023 with the attending of andan Inci Elci, president of the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSU), Ukrainian Consul General in Istanbul Roman Nedilskyi, and Beyoglu municipality Mayor Haydar Ali Yildiz besides Ahmet Sel, jury member and photographer and several artists. 

At the exhibition set to run through Sept. 29, visitors saw all 165 award-winning photos of this year's contes.

The jury of the international news photography contest Istanbul Photo Awards 2023 gathered on Thursday to decide the winning photos.

Organized by Anadolu Ajansı for the ninth time this year, professional photographers applied to the contest until Jan. 15 with their photos covering global events of the past year.

Over 21,000 photos were sent by 1,971 professional photojournalists from 116 different nationalities to the competition, which was held to support press photography around the world.

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

The winners will be announced on June 16 after a three-day selection process done through a platform specially prepared for the contest by Anadolu’s dedicated tech team.

Anadolu Ajansı Deputy Director General Oguz Enis Peru thanked the Istanbul Photo Awards 2023 jury for their "invaluable contribution" in his opening speech.

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

We are glad to announce that Nikon, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Turkish Airlines (THY) will support Istanbul Photo Awards 2023. 

In its ninth year, the contest is offering a 58,000 USD cash prize in total to the winners in ten categories. With the support of Nikon this year, first-prize winners in each category will win a Nikon camera.

The winners will be announced in early June since the jury gathering was postponed due to the natural disasters in Türkiye. 

We want to thank our sponsors, Nikon, TIKA and Turkish Airlines, for supporting the news photography field.

Dear Istanbul Photo Awards Community,

Multiple earthquakes hit more than ten cities of Türkiye in the last two weeks. Our country still faces aftershocks as the rescue teams still working on the collapsed buildings. All our prayers are with the earthquake victims.

We want to thank all foreign journalists and teams coming to those districts to support. #AnadoluAjansı teams are on the field to be the voice of the people, besides some of the previous award-winning photographers and jury members of the contest.

For these reasons, the scheduled jury gathering and winner announcement of Istanbul Photo Awards 2023 has been postponed. The winners will be announced following a jury session in the upcoming months.

Thank you for your understanding and support on this matter.

The jury for the Istanbul Photo Awards 2023, organized this year for the ninth time by Anadolu Agency, Türkiye's premier news source, has been announced.

Photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev from NOOR Agency, photojournalist Goran Tomasevic from The Globe and Mail, visual storyteller Marion Mertens, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer from Getty Images, photojournalist Ahmet Sel and Firat Yurdakul, the editor-in-chief of Anadolu Agency's Visual News Department, are all among the jury members of the prestigious international photo contest.

An exhibition featuring a selection of photographs from the international news photography contest the Istanbul Photo Awards kicked off Thursday in New York.

The third exhibition of Istanbul Photo Awards 2022 opened at UN Headquarters.

More than 30 photographs covering major events around the world over the past year will be exhibited at the world body until Dec. 22.

The second exhibition of the 2022 Istanbul Photo Awards kicked off on Tuesday in the Turkish capital Ankara, featuring a selection of award-winning photographs from Anadolu Agency's international news photography contest. 

At the exhibition set to run through Dec. 19, visitors saw the human cost of the conflict in Afghanistan, as well as this year's Formula 1 races, rallies in the US, bird deaths in the Iranian wetlands, and glimpses into the lives of Thai children and mothers in Dagestan.

Now in its ninth year, the Istanbul Photo Awards, open for professional photographers to enter in 10 categories. Online applications are open until Jan. 15, 2023, free of charge.

International jury will evaluate the submitted photos from many different points of view, such as technical proficiency, perspective, movement, and emotion.

Read the FAQ page for more.

The exhibition is open to visit between 12-30 September at Tophane-i Amire Single Dome Hall. 

2022 photobook covers extant moments from wildfires to drought, Afghanistan conflicts to Myanmar protests, refugee crises to the US Capitol riot, a Senegalese young jokey to the  Paralympic athlete. 

Review the photobook.

Konstantinos Tsakalidis, the winner of this year's Istanbul Photo Awards, was presented his prize, a camera, by Anadolu Agency Director-General Serdar Karagoz on 30 July.

Tsakalidis said it was a "great honor" for him to accept the award in the "magnificent city" of Istanbul. "Istanbul Photo Awards is one of the most prestigious competitions in our field," he said.

Read the interview.

Sergei Stroitelev, winner of 1st prize in Story Portrait category, receives award at Anadolu Agency’s Istanbul office. He said the Istanbul Photo Awards is a “big motivation” for photojournalists to continue their careers.

Read the interview.

The Istanbul Photo Awards is regarded as one of the top contests in the world among photographers including photojournalists, said Serbian photojournalist Andrej Isakovic, who won this year’s Single Sports category.

Watch the interview video.

The Istanbul Photo Awards is one of the most important and prestigious contests in recent years mainly because it includes many jury members who have significant experience in the field of photojournalism, said Greek photojournalist Konstantinos Tsakalidis, this year’s Photo of the Year winner.

Read the interview.