Istanbul Photo Awards jury set to select 2022 winners

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) - The distinguished jury of the Istanbul Photo Awards 2022 on Thursday started their work reviewing thousands of entries from hopeful photographers worldwide.

For the eighth edition of the contest from Anadolu Agency, Turkiye’s premier news source, the jury sessions are being held online due to coronavirus measures. The members of the jury logged in from eight different countries to select last year's best photos.

This year's jury brings together prestigious figures from the world of photography, including National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale, photojournalist Carol Guzy, Reuters photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, visual storyteller Marion Mertens, former AFP Director of Photo Business Development Michel Scotto, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, photojournalist Ahmet Sel, and Firat Yurdakul, the Editor-in-Chief of Anadolu Agency’s Visual News Department.

The winners will be announced at the end of March after a three-day selection process done through a platform specially prepared for the contest by Anadolu Agency's dedicated tech team.

Over 16,000 photos taken by 1,482 professional photojournalists from 113 different nationalities were entered by the Feb. 15 deadline in seven categories: Single News, Story News, Single Sports, Story Sports, Single Nature and Environment, Canon Story Daily Life, and Story Portrait.

The winner of the Photo of the Year – the Single News category first prize winner – will be awarded $6,000.

Winners in other categories will be awarded $3,000 for first prize, $1,500 for second prize, and $1,000 for third. Only the first prize will be awarded in the Story Daily Life and Story Portrait categories. In addition to the awards, this year the first prize winners will be awarded Canon cameras.

The contest, now a dedicated platform with 14,000 users, contributes to photography with exhibits and photo albums containing winning photos, as well as the prize money it distributes.

Information on all jury members of the contest and the award-winning photos from previous years can be accessed at istanbulphotoawards.com.

This year the contest is supported by Canon, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and Turkish Airlines, the nation’s flag carrier.