TEHRAN – Former Tehran Times photographer Abbas Kowsari has been selected for a jury for the Asia category of the 2022 World Press Photo Contest.

Kowsari is currently working as a senior photo editor for Shargh, a Persian daily based in Tehran. He has also worked for the Aftab Network Magazine. His works have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions in Iran and abroad.

Kowsari began his career in 1994 as a photojournalist for the Tehran Times, Iran’s leading English daily. He has worked for numerous Iranian newspapers. His photographs have been published in many newspapers and magazines, including Paris Match, Der Spiegel, Colors Magazine from Benetton Group, Time and The New York Times.  

In Kowsari’s carefully observed and composed photographs, scenes of life in Iran are given a theatrical, almost epic presence. 

In 2009, he was shortlisted for the Prix Pictet for “Shade of Earth”, his 2007 series that depicts visitors to the former frontlines of the Iran-Iraq war. He was also a finalist in 2009 for the series in the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, London.

The World Press Photo Contest jury for the Asia category also includes award-winning photographer Lam Yik Fei from Hong Kong, Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography director Tanzim Wahab from Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabian photographer Tasneem Alsultan. An anonymous photographer will also join the jury.

The annual press photography contest is organized by the World Press Photo Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Winning works will be showcased in the contest’s annual traveling exhibition around the world in over 80 cities.

The works will also be published on the contest’s website and social platforms with over 2 million followers.

The organizers will also award €1,000 for each of the 24 regional winners and an additional €5,000 for the four global winners.

Regional winners will be announced on March 24, 2022, while global winners will be announced on April 7. The flagship World Press Photo Exhibition will open in Amsterdam on April 16.

Photo: Iranian photojournalist Abbas Kowsari in an undated photo by Mehdi Hassani.

MMS/YAW