TEHRAN – Iranian photographer Armin Karami won first prize in the Portrait Story category of the Istanbul Photo Awards, the organizers announced last week.

He received that award for “Foreign Mirror”, a series of portraits made in his homeland.

Karami works for Middle East Images, an independent photo agency that presents West Asian photography by accomplished local artists who seek to share their deep understandings of their homeland through visual storytelling.

The Istanbul Photo Awards is an international news photography contest organized by Anadolu Agency. The contest aims to contribute to the sphere of news photography and offers a perspective shaped by the region’s unique position at the center of diverse cultures. 

The organizers also intend to reward the endeavors of courageous and talented photojournalists from around the world on merit.

Bangladeshi photographer Mohammed Shajahan’s “Mom Love”, selected from among nearly 15,000 photographs submitted from different parts of the world, won the Photo of the Year 2021 award and Single News First Prize.

Single News Second Prize went to Yuri Cortéz’s photo depicting members of the MS-13 and 18 gangs in an overcrowded cell at Quezaltepeque prison in El Salvador.

A photo by Petros Giannakouris that shows refugees and migrants carrying their belongings fleeing from a fire burning at the Moria camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece, won Single News Third Prize.

Single Sports First Prize went to the photo “Loyal Fans in Covid Era” by Czech photographer Vondrous Roman. The photograph shows football players of the Bohemians 1905 Prague thanking their fans after a match against FK Pribram.

“Superbikes Crash” by Scott Robin Barbour from New Zealand received Single Sports 2nd Prize and “Log Pile Bouldering” won third prize in this category.

Italian photographer Fabio Bucciarelli was given first prize in the Story News section for his series “We Take the Dead from Morning Till Night”.

Second and third prizes in this category went to Ugur Yildirim from Turkey and Chris McGrath from Australia respectively.

Alain Schroeder from Belgium was honored with first prize in the Story Sports section for his series “Dead Goat Polo”, while Barbora Reichova from Czech and Anas Alkharboutli from Syria took second and third prizes.

“Doctor Peyo and Mister Hassen” by Jeremy Lempin from France received first prize in the Story Daily Life category.

Photo: A photo from Iranian photographer Armin Karami’s series “Foreign Mirror”, which won first prize in the Portrait Story of the Istanbul Photo Awards.

MMS/YAW