​​​​​​​ISTANBUL

Anadolu opened the second exhibition of its international news photography contest, the İstanbul Photo Awards 2025, with a reception Friday that was hosted by the Turkish news agency's CEO Serdar Karagoz.

The exhibition, which follows a debut in Ankara, features 139 images by 29 award-winning photographers. The works are displayed at the Dolmabahce Art Gallery, part of the Türkiye's National Palaces’ Palace Collections Museum.  

 War beyond statistics

“Photography continues to be the purest and most powerful language of truth,” Karagoz said at the opening.

​​​​​​​He noted that photography is one of the most powerful tools of testimony in the modern age, particularly in documenting human stories from war and crisis zones and in shaping collective memory.

“The frames you see here today are not just photographs but notes written into history, fragments of memory preserved for the future. Today, in Gaza, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world, we are witnessing very precious testimonies through these photographs.”

Referring to the winning photo of this year’s competition, Karagoz said it answered the questions “What do we remember? What do we refuse to forget?”

“The image, taken in Gaza by photographer Saeed Jaras, depicts parents embracing the lifeless bodies of their children killed in Israeli airstrikes.

“This photo was chosen by the jury as the best of 2025. Looking at it, we understand that war is not statistics. It cannot be told by numbers alone. Each frame, each moment is a human story,” he said.

He recalled that the previous winning entries also portrayed the realities of war, including Mohammed Salem’s photo in 2024 and Sergey Kozlov’s in 2023.

“When we look at international photo contests, we see that the most powerful images often come from war, conflict, and crisis zones. Despite knowing the pain they represent, we cannot turn away.

“These photographs capture human conditions, emotional stories, and social fractures in a profound way,” he said.   

Photography as a witness to history

Karagoz said photographs have shaped human history.

“In the 19th century, Roger Fenton’s images from the Crimean War brought war to the public eye for the first time. In the 20th century, photographs from the Vietnam War bore witness to pivotal moments in history.

“Today, technology has advanced, but one thing remains unchanged: photography continues to be the most direct and powerful language of truth.

“The photos you see here are not just images — they are notes for history, fragments of memory for the future. Whether from Gaza, Ukraine, or elsewhere, these photographs serve as records of history and collective memory.” 

 Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagoz 

Anadolu's global role in photojournalism

Highlighting Anadolu's global operations, Karagoz said the agency employs photojournalists in 135 countries and produces more than 6,000 pieces of content daily, including 4,000 photographs.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Anadolu has distributed more than 200,000 photographs and 15,000 videos from Gaza to the international media.

He noted that Anadolu’s images exposing the use of hunger as a weapon in Gaza reached the front pages of global outlets.

“One of those photos, taken by Anadolu photojournalist Muhammed El Yakubi, appeared on the cover of The Guardian Weekly under the headline: ‘We are dying slowly, save us.’ Hundreds, even thousands of newspapers and websites carried those images. That message reached billions,” he said.

He also mentioned Anadolu's publication Kanit (Evidence), documenting war crimes since Oct. 7, as well as the forthcoming volumes Sanik (Defendant) and Tanik (Witness), along with a documentary version of Kanit screened in the UK Parliament, Qatar, and several US states. 

Turkiye's Communications Director Burhanettin Duran at  'İstanbul Photo Awards 2025' exhibition

Global recognition of the İstanbul Photo Awards

More than 2,000 photographers applied to the 2025 competition with around 20,000 photos, from which an international jury selected the winners.

“This contest has now become one of the most important competitions in the world,” Karagoz said, stressing Anadolu’s pride in hosting such a global platform.

Anadolu's Visual News Director Aykut Unlupinar provided attendees with details about the works on display. Guests also received an album featuring the award-winning photographs.

Among the awardees, Iranian photographer Hootan Babapourvajari, who won third place in the portrait category, said he was honored that his photo could be seen worldwide.

“For photographers, the best thing is to show their work to people everywhere. In my photo, you see an Afghan woman who survived an acid attack by her husband when the Taliban returned to Afghanistan in 2021,” he said.

Jury member Ahmet Sel noted that the competition, now in its 11th year, has grown into a major global event.

“What started on a smaller scale is now a contest recognized across the world in the field of photojournalism. Despite global media crises, photojournalism remains meaningful, vital, and indispensable,” he said.  

Exhibition open until Sept. 7

This year’s competition received nearly 22,000 submissions from photographers of 114 nationalities.

The exhibition allows visitors to see striking images from around the world, including Israel’s ongoing strikes on Gaza, devastating floods in East Africa, volcanic eruptions in Iceland, athletes of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Afghan women’s struggles for survival, survivors of Syria’s Sednaya Prison, Brazilian surfers battling massive waves, and the perilous journeys of migrants.

The İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 is supported by Turkcell as communication sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency as overseas events sponsor, and Turkish Airlines as partial transportation sponsor.

Award-winning works across news, sports, nature and environment, portraits, and daily life can be viewed at istanbulphotoawards.com.

The exhibition will remain open at the Dolmabahce Art Gallery until Sept. 7.