Istanbul Photo Awards 2025: Powerful Images That Defined The Year

The winners of the prestigious Istanbul Photo Awards 2025 were finally announced, celebrating exceptional achievements in international news photography.

Now in its 11th year and organized by the Anadolu Agency, the competition drew nearly 22,000 submissions from around the globe. A total of 29 photographers were honored across 10 diverse categories, highlighting the power of visual storytelling in today’s world.

The highly coveted Photo of the Year award went to Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras for his deeply moving image titled “Gaza–Deir al-Balah.” The photo captures an emotional moment as parents hold their child after an Israeli airstrike struck their tent in central Gaza—an image that speaks volumes about loss, resilience, and the human cost of conflict.

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14 PHOTOS

#1 Single Nature & Environment 1st Prize (Anton Brink / Epa / Iceland)

Lava flows across a road near Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Nov. 21, 2024. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, a new fissure erupted in the area, sending hot lava spewing into the air.

#2 Single Sports 1st Prize (Jerome Brouillet / Afp / France)

Brazil’s Gabriel Medina reacts after catching a large wave in the 5th heat of the men’s surfing round 3 in Teahupo’o, on the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti, during the Paris Olympic Games on July 29, 2024.

Since its inception, the Istanbul Photo Awards has evolved into a truly global platform, now boasting a community of over 20,000 registered photographers worldwide.

This year’s winners were chosen by a distinguished international jury, including National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Carol Guzy, NOOR agency’s Yuri Kozyrev, The Globe and Mail’s Goran Tomasevic, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, and Turkish photojournalists Ahmet Sel and Firat Yurdakul.

#3 Single Nature & Environment 2nd Prize (Bence Mate / Hungary)

Bathed in the golden glow of a Kenyan sunset, an African bush elephant strides gracefully as a flock of red-billed queleas takes flight, capturing the harmony of life on the savannah. Photographed on Sept. 15, 2024.

#4 Single Sports 3rd Prize (Camilo Diaz / Colombia)

A school of sardines off Moalboal in the Philippines performs a mesmerizing dance between order and chaos, as thousands of tiny fish move in synchronized harmony beneath the sea. More than just a migration, this phenomenon serves as a reminder of both the fragility and strength of marine ecosystems, where life forms collective patterns that blur our perception of individuality. Photographed on Feb. 1, 2024.

#5 Story Nature & Environment 1st Prize (Luis Tato / Afp / Spain)

In 2024, intense floods swept across East Africa, displacing thousands, crippling infrastructure, and leaving communities struggling to access essential resources. Kenya faced one of its worst floods in recent memory, the latest in a string of weather disasters driven by weeks of relentless rainfall linked to a changing climate. The disaster laid bare the region’s mounting vulnerability to extreme weather, claiming over 300 lives and displacing more than 55,000 households as murky waters engulfed villages, destroyed roads, and overwhelmed dams.

#6 Story Portrait 2nd Prize (Michael Pappas / Greece)

Traditional Greek attire reflects social status and identity, highlighting the evolving role of women. In rural areas, women wore practical clothing, while urban fashion showcased wealth. Black garments signified mourning, while wedding dresses symbolized fertility. Until the 20th century, 80% of women worked in agriculture, but industrialization shifted 60% to artisanal work. By 1920, only 35% of women were literate, but education introduced Western influences. By 1980, workforce participation had risen to 45%. Since 2019, the Mitos Project has brought traditional costumes into a contemporary context.

#7 Story Portrait 2nd Prize (Michael Pappas / Greece)

Traditional Greek attire reflects social status and identity, highlighting the evolving role of women. In rural areas, women wore practical clothing, while urban fashion showcased wealth. Black garments signified mourning, while wedding dresses symbolized fertility. Until the 20th century, 80% of women worked in agriculture, but industrialization shifted 60% to artisanal work. By 1920, only 35% of women were literate, but education introduced Western influences. By 1980, workforce participation had risen to 45%. Since 2019, the Mitos Project has brought traditional costumes into a contemporary context.

#8 Story Portrait 2nd Prize (Michael Pappas / Greece)

Traditional Greek attire reflects social status and identity, highlighting the evolving role of women. In rural areas, women wore practical clothing, while urban fashion showcased wealth. Black garments signified mourning, while wedding dresses symbolized fertility. Until the 20th century, 80% of women worked in agriculture, but industrialization shifted 60% to artisanal work. By 1920, only 35% of women were literate, but education introduced Western influences. By 1980, workforce participation had risen to 45%. Since 2019, the Mitos Project has brought traditional costumes into a contemporary context.

#9 Single Portrait 1st Prize (Mauro De Bettio / Italy)

An Afghan woman in a blue burqa holds a caged dove, a powerful image that reflects themes of restriction and hope. The cage suggests barriers, while the dove symbolizes the desire for freedom. Set against patterned wallpaper, the scene contrasts domestic enclosure with the desire for autonomy, offering a reflection on the complexity of Afghan women's experiences. Photographed on March 21, 2024.

#10 Story Sports 1st Prize (Hannah McKay / Reuters / United Kingdom)

The story of Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics. Biles led the US women’s team to gold in the artistic gymnastics team final, then added three more medals in the individual finals. With 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, she stands as the most decorated gymnast in history.

#11 Story Daily Life 1st Prize (Valentina Sinis / Italy)

'Were Afghan Women to Unveil Their Tales' is a project that offers an intimate and respectful insight into the lives of Afghan women, highlighting the challenges they face in a harsh reality. Afghanistan today grapples with numerous issues, with one of the most severe being the erosion of women’s rights and freedoms. Since the Taliban retook control, over 70 laws have restricted women’s access to education, work, health care, and freedom of movement. Despite these conditions, Afghan women demonstrate remarkable inner strength, withstanding the pressures of an environment designed to hold them back.

#12 Story Portrait 1st Prize (Samar Abu Elouf / The New York Times / Palestine)

Amputations. Disfiguration. Brain damage. Their injuries are life-altering. Ruba Abu Jibba lost an eye to Israeli shelling in Gaza as she and her family fled approaching tanks, she recounts. Abu Jibba is one of many severely wounded Gazans who survived a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. They managed to escape for medical treatment in Qatar. They are alive, though some question whether they still want to be.

#13 Story Daily Life 2nd Prize (Mads Nissen / Politiken - Panos Pictures / Denmark)

Every year, millions of Latin Americans embark on dangerous journeys to the United States, driven by the hope of a better future. In response to US pressure, Mexican authorities have tightened control over migration routes, but this has come at a significant cost. Mexican law enforcement faces widespread criticism for systematic abuses and its connections to criminal cartels that profit from smuggling and exploiting migrants. To evade capture, many migrants risk their lives aboard the freight train known as La Bestia — The Beast — in a desperate attempt to reach the US.

#14 Single Nature & Environment 3rd Prize (Jianxing Zhu / China)

Fruit farmers harvest plums from a tree under their tent at night on Qilin Mountain in Zhaoqing city, Guangdong province, June 15, 2024. In recent years, farmers have been setting up tents over their plum trees to protect them from adverse weather like typhoons and frost.