ISTANBUL
The winners of the international news photography contest İstanbul Photo Awards 2026, organized by Anadolu, were announced on Monday.
Nearly 19,000 photographs were submitted to the contest, and 26 photographers received awards across 10 categories.
Among entries from around the world, Palestinian photographer Haitham Imad’s work titled Gaza, No Hope, shot for EPA, was awarded Photo of the Year.
The photograph shows a heart-wrenching moment, with 2-year-old Sham lying exhausted in her mother’s arms while receiving treatment at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip, which has been under years of Israeli attacks.
Since its inception, İstanbul Photo Awards has grown into a global platform, attracting more than 21,000 registered photographers.
This year’s winners were selected during an online session by an international jury composed of leading names in photography.
The jury included National Geographic photographer and Vital Impacts founder Ami Vitale, photojournalist Carol Guzy, NOOR agency member, photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, The Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, Getty Images Chief Sports Photographer Cameron Spencer, photojournalists Ahmet Sel and Firat Yurdakul, as well as Nicole Tung and Muhammed Muheisen, who have frequently come to the fore with their recent work.
In the Story News category, Associated Press (AP) photographer Jehad Alsharfi was awarded first place for his series that strikingly addresses the issue of hunger in the Gaza Strip.
In the Single Sports category, SWpix photographer Alex Whitehead took first place with a frame documenting a moment of collision during the 2025 UCI Track Cycling World Championships held in Chile.
Tariq Zaidi received first place in the Story Sports category for his work on the centuries-old Nuba wrestling tradition in Sudan.
In the Single Nature and Environment category, Olesya Kurpyayeva won first place with her photograph, taken for Agence France-Presse (AFP), examining a baby mammoth fossil.
The jury selected Josh Edelson’s work, documenting the devastating moments of the California wildfires for Agence France Press (AFP), as first place in the Story Nature and Environment category.
The New York Times photographer Saher Alghorra won first place in the Single Portrait category with his portrait strikingly documenting the deadly hunger crisis in Palestine.
Arez Ghaderi won first place in the Story Portrait category with his series titled Lost Childhood, consisting of portraits of children working in brick kilns in Afghanistan.
Spanish photographer Diego Ibarra won first place in the Single Daily Life category with his photograph documenting an informal open-air school for Afghan girls, and also took first place in the Story Daily Life category with his series titled Reimagining Syria, shot for The New York Times.
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.
More information about the award-winning photographs and jury members of this year’s contest, organized with Turkcell as the communication sponsor, can be found at istanbulphotoawards.com.
