Istanbul Photo Awards album published

ISTANBUL

When it comes to the significant news events around the world, sometimes a photograph can convey a story more powerfully than a thousand words, wrote American photojournalist and author Deborah Copaken in the forward to this year’s Istanbul Photo Awards album.

The annual album, recently released by Anadolu Agency, features photographs from the world news in 2018, selected as winners in four categories of the photojournalism contest. The competition is supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and officially sponsored by the national flag carrier Turkish Airlines.

Featured on this year’s album cover is the Photograph of the Year – “Israel-U.S.-Palestinian Conflict” by 40-year-old Palestinian AFP photojournalist Ahmad Gharabli.

The photograph shows a Palestinian woman retaliating against an Israeli soldier who took her photo during protests against the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

“It is a powerful example of how narrative war has become more important than physical war due to new technology,” said awards jury member Yuri Kozyrev, a Russian photojournalist with Dutch-based NOOR Agency, in comments on this year’s top prize-winning photo.

The contest has drawn about 100,000 entries since it was first held in 2015.

The album will be distributed to leading press photographer representatives, news photo agencies and university libraries.

Photos will be displayed in domestic and foreign exhibitions and are viewable on the contest’s official website, www.istanbulphotoawards.com.

Professional photographers also can apply for next year’s contest on the website from Nov. 1, 2019 to Jan. 31, 2020.