Istanbul: Courageous photojournalists continue to risk their lives to expose crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu President and CEO Serdar Karagoz said Saturday while evaluating the 2025 winners of Istanbul Photo Awards.
According to Anadolu Agency, this year, Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras won Photo of the Year for his work titled ‘Gaza-Deir al-Balah’ for Middle East Images. “The photo shows the indescribable suffering of the parents whose children were killed in an Israeli airstrike,” Karagoz said. “Jaras and courageous photographers like him continue to take great risks to inform the world about the crimes against humanity in Gaza,” he added.
The prestigious contest has attracted entries from 20,000 photographers worldwide since its inception. Istanbul Photo Awards 2025 showcased renowned photographers like Hannah McKay and Mads Nissen, alongside independent talents from countries including China and Italy.
This year’s submissions prominently featured the changing dynamics in Syria alongside the war in Gaza. Karagoz noted that the Syrian scene, relatively calm since 2016, gained momentum again with the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime.
In the Story News category, Samuel Nacar received second prize for “The Shadows Already Have Names,” documenting survivors of Syria’s notorious Sednaya Prison for Revista 5W. AFP’s Sameer Al-Doumy won second prize in the Single Daily Life category for “Beneath the Scars of War.”
Karagoz highlighted a special tribute introduced in the contest to honor Marion Mertens, a visual storyteller and former jury member who died in December, by renaming the Single Daily Life category after her. Palestinian photographer Mahmoud Zaki Salem Issa won the category with his depiction of Gaza’s hunger crisis.
“Istanbul Photo Awards has become more than a contest — it’s a global meeting point for the photography community,” said Karagoz, announcing worldwide exhibitions and innovative events to showcase the winning works. Karagoz congratulated the winning photographers and concluded by stating that Anadolu would continue to elevate the contest each year.