Istanbul Photo Awards opens at Rami Library for 10th anniversary

The first exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Photo Awards, organised by Turkish international news agency Anadolu, has opened at the Rami Library for art enthusiasts.

Istanbul 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 on Monday, featuring this year's award-winning photographs.

Anadolu's Chairman and General Manager Serdar Karagoz stressed in his opening speech that each photograph is a document and contributes to creating a collective memory.

Karagoz also noted the significant changes in photography from the camera obscura to today's digital photography.

"Since the first permanent photograph was taken, many things have changed in the world of photography, from color photography techniques to today's AI-enhanced image processing technologies. However, the documentary nature of each photograph, serving as a witness to its time and building a memory, has never changed," he said.

'We continue to showcase the true face of war'

Karagoz expressed a desire to share the award-winning photographs from the 2024 Istanbul Photo Awards with the participants of the exhibition.

"The 'Photo of the Year' award this year went to Mohammed Salem for his emotional and impactful piece 'Palestinian Woman Embracing Her Dead Niece's Body.' This photo tells a deeply affecting story, the story of Gaza, a story that will not be erased from our collective memory.

"Unfortunately, we continue to witness many such moments today. Since October, the Israeli administration has been carrying out intense attacks on Gaza," he said.

Karagoz noted that more than 140 journalists have lost their lives in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, including Anadolu cameraman Montaser Al-Sawaf.

He also compared this number to the 69 journalists who died during the six years of World War II.

"These numbers summarise the current situation most clearly. As Anadolu Agency, we continue our work to reveal the true face of this war and witness the painful pages of human history. In this context, we published our books 'Evidence' and 'Witness' containing visuals that clearly reveal Israel's crimes in Gaza.

"We also premiered our documentary series 'Evidence' in Ankara and later launched it in London at the UK Parliament. We aim to showcase our 'Witness' and 'Evidence' documentaries at many film and documentary festivals worldwide in the upcoming period."

Karagoz also said the exhibition includes a 'Palestine Room' dedicated to the memory of journalists killed in Israeli attacks.

'185,000 photos, 18,000 photographers in 10 years'

Karagoz shared that the Istanbul Photo Awards has become a global platform with approximately 185,000 photos and 18,000 photographers registered over 10 years. He highlighted the global recognition of the competition.

"This year’s competition saw the participation of over 20,000 photos from around the world. From Brazil to Nepal, Canada to Nigeria, Palestine to Japan, some of the world's most talented photographers participated.

"This global representation makes us very happy. Our international jury carefully evaluated each photo, and moments captured by 32 photographers in 10 different categories were deemed worthy of awards. I congratulate all the winners and thank all participants for their efforts and contributions."

'The world's best photographers created a reaction with Gaza images'

Karagoz said the exhibition will also be displayed in New York and Brussels after Istanbul.

He noted that 2023 was a year of sorrows, particularly with the earthquakes in Türkiye, which did not escape the attention of photographers. However, Karagoz emphasised that the main theme of this year's exhibition consists of Gaza photographs.

"A photo is a document, a record. We document and record here. The word 'objective' in Turkish means untouched, faithful to its essence, unmanipulated. This is why our photographers captured what was happening in Gaza through their lenses, and some of the world's best photographers responded with Gaza images."

"This year, we included a 'discrimination' category. This selection features visuals of people subjected to discrimination worldwide. The ‘environment’ category is very important. We have a selection related to plastic waste, which pollutes the environment. We also present strong photos in the ‘sports’ category, always central to news photography, for Istanbul photo enthusiasts."

Karagoz concluded by emphasising Anadolu's significant contribution to the world of photography through the Istanbul Photo Awards.

About the Istanbul Photo Awards

Supported by the Rami Library, the exhibition features photos covering global events from last year including Israel's ongoing attacks in Palestine and the earthquakes in Türkiye, described as the "Disaster of the Century," as well as on subjects including Mexican crime organisations, refugee camps in Afghanistan, plastic usage in Nigeria, the lives of elephants in Sri Lanka's landfills, the world swimming championships in Japan, the Wimbledon tennis tournament, discrimination in India, and migrants who died in Spanish waters.

Information about the award-winning photos can be found on "istanbulphotoawards.com" and the exhibition will be open until June 23 at the Rami Library's F3 hall.