- Thousands of major events and the most pivotal moments in countless lives have been documented by Anadolu, says Serdar Karagoz

ISTANBUL

İstanbul Photo Awards once again shows that every photograph with documentary value is not merely an image, but a language for understanding and conveying state of the world and the essence of a society, Anadolu President and CEO Serdar Karagoz said.

A special event of the first exhibition of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 was held at CSO Ada Ankara under the auspices of Karagoz on Tuesday.

In his opening remarks at the official invitational event, Karagoz said that each photograph in the exhibition serves as a silent narrator of emotions, events, and testimonies.

İstanbul Photo Awards, organized by Anadolu for its 11th consecutive year, awarded 29 photographers across 10 categories. The selections were made from approximately 22,000 submissions from around the world, a testament to the contest's growing prestige which has attracted entries from more than 20,000 photographers globally since its inception.

Karagoz said the Photo of the Year award went to Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras for his image titled “Gaza-Deir al-Balah,” depicting grieving parents embracing the lifeless bodies of their children killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Recalling that a similar image had been chosen as the Photo of the Year in the previous year, Karagoz said: "This shows that the world's political and tragic realities have seen little change. As journalists, reporters, and photojournalists, we document history.”

Sadly, there is little difference between the records we left in 2024 and those in 2025. Pain, tears, sorrow, genocide, bloodshed, and violence have once again marked this year, as they did the last, he added.

‘Images replaced reality in today’s world’

Karagoz emphasized that every photojournalist documenting wars, crises, earthquakes, and human stories, from Gaza to Ukraine from Damascus to New York, is truly speaking with history.

“Images replaced reality in today’s world. Public perception is now shaped by images, and truth is being reconstructed under the shadow of representation. In this sense, photographs are not just records, but instruments of meaning-making,” Karagoz said.

“As communication theorists say, media tools don’t just transmit information, they shape how we see the world," he added.

Citing images such as a refugee father carrying his baby in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a child fleeing during the Vietnam War, and a small hand clutching a teddy bear under the rubble in Gaza, Karagoz stressed that such photographs are more than news, they become lasting symbols imprinted in collective consciousness.

He added that platforms such as İstanbul Photo Awards serve not only artistic and aesthetic purposes, but also carry the responsibility of preserving societal memory and shaping media narratives.

Highlighting Anadolu’s photo archive of over 13 million images, he said the agency had distributed globally 100,000 photographs during the Syrian war, 150,000 during the Russia-Ukraine war, and 3,000 from the Iran-Israel conflict.

“Our historical record does not end there. Thousands of major events and the most pivotal moments in countless lives have been documented by Anadolu Ajansı," he said.

Moments captured by nearly 2,000 photographers evaluated

Karagoz said İstanbul Photo Awards also aims to raise awareness about the dedication and importance of photojournalists working under difficult conditions.

"Since its inception, the competition has grown into a global platform with over 206,000 photo submissions by nearly 20,000 photographers. This year’s edition attracted nearly 22,000 entries from around the world, from Brazil to Nepal, Canada to Nigeria, and, from Palestine to Japan. Our esteemed international jury carefully evaluated each entry, with moments captured by nearly 2,000 photographers assessed across 10 categories," he said.

"We continue to document 2025. Hopefully, when we gather for İstanbul Photo Awards 2026 exhibition, we will be able to share some hopeful developments on the international stage," Karagoz added.

Following his speech, Anadolu Visual News Director Aykut Unlupinar provided insights into the exhibited works and guests were also presented with an album featuring the winning photographs.

TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobaci, Anadolu Editor in-Chief Yusuf Ozhan and Chief Operating Officer Oguz Enis Peru, Anadolu Publications and Productions Coordinator Oguz Karakas, Anadolu Academy and Editorial Coordinator Yahya Bostan, Chinese Ambassador to Türkiye Liu Shaobin, Panama’s Ambassador to Ankara Karina Cecilia Arias Fonseca de Giannotti, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador Mirsada Colakovic, as well as academics, and prominent figures from the global media and photography community were also present at the exhibition.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador to Türkiye, Mirsada Colakovic, told Anadolu that many of the photographs, particularly those from Palestine, reflect the harsh side of life. She named her favorite entry as “Surrounded,” taken in Kenya, and extended her congratulations to everyone involved in organizing the contest.

Exhibition open to visitors through July 20

The exhibition features a selection of 150 photographs, including award-winning works. Visitors have the opportunity to view compelling visual narratives from the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza to the devastating floods in East Africa, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland, athletes of Paris 2024 Olympics, Afghan women’s struggle for survival, survivors of Syria’s Sednaya Prison, Brazilian surfers battling giant waves, and dangerous journeys of migrants.

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

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 exhibition will remain open to the public through July 20.