TEHRAN – Iranian photographer Mehdi Zabolabbasi has won the Best Author Award -- FIAP Light Blue Badge in the first edition of the George Barker International Exhibition of Photography in Canada.

A jury comprising Taraknath Dey from Canada, Aleksandar Sasic from Ireland and Djordje Vukicevic from Serbia decided to grant the award to Zabolabbasi’s “Gulbahar”, the organizers announced Saturday.

The photo, which depicts an Afghan woman clad in a burka passing through an alley with colorful buildings, also won the FIAP Gold Medal in the Open Color (PIDC) Section.

The contest was organized in the six categories under the patronage of the Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique (FIAP) with contributions from the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and the Focus Photo Club (FPC), Iran’s branch of the FIAP.

Zabolabbasi also won the FPC Trophy in the Open Monochrome (PIDM) Section for his photo “In the Evening Alone”, which shows an Afghan woman clad in a burka walking toward a mosque.

In addition, “Linchan”, his portrait of a coal mine, won an honorable mention in the Portrait Color category.

In this section, Iranian photographer Amin Mahdavi was honored with the FIAP Gold Medal for “Cwtch”, in which a nomad girl poses with a lamb.

“Pride and Prejudice” by Mohammadreza Purian from Iran was given the FPC Trophy in this section. The photo shows a woman donning a mask common among women in southern Iran.

Iranian photographers also garnered awards in several categories.

Maziar Amini Alashti for “Contrast” and Amin Mahdavi for “Bold” were honored with FIAP Ribbons in the Open Monochrome Section.

In the Open Color Section, Saeid Arabzadeh’s “Vakil Mosque” received the FPC Trophy and Mirali Parandak’s “Shoemaker” won the FIAP Ribbon.

The FIAP Gold Medal in the Aerial Photography Color category went to Asghar Sameti for “A Symphony”, which depicts news cars in a parking lot.

“Trying to Generate Generation” by Ali Saqafi showing two owls copulating won the FPC Trophy in the Nature section.

“Hanabandan Ceremony” by Mehdi Eshaqi-Qalibaf was awarded the FIAP Gold Medal in the Travel category. The photo shows a Khorasani bride and groom along with their guests participating in hanabandan, an ancient rite being performed on the eve of a wedding ceremony in Iran.

Winning photos and a selection of submissions will showcase in an exhibition on August 6 in London, a Canadian city in southwestern Ontario.

The exhibition is named after George Barker (1844–1894), a Canadian-American photographer who is best known for his photographs of Niagara Falls.

Photo: “Gulbahar” brought Iranian photographer Mehdi Zabolabbasi the Best Author Award at the George Barker International Exhibition of Photography in Canada.

MMS/YAW