Madrid exhibits the winning photos from Istanbul 2025
- International photography competition in Istanbul
- The importance of universal photojournalism
- Description and meaning of the winning photograph
- Exhibition in Madrid and commemorations
- Social issues and natural disasters
- Prominent Spanish photojournalists
International photography competition in Istanbul
The Istanbul International Photography Competition, sponsored by the Anadolu News Agency, has become one of the most prestigious photojournalism competitions after eleven editions.
This is evidenced by the 21,558 photographs submitted this year by 1,966 photojournalists from around the world. From such a voluminous sample, a large international jury has selected the 30 best photos of the year, divided into ten categories, from Simple News to Portrait of a Story, including Scenes from Everyday Life. A collection of works that capture and evoke the thousand and one aspects of the human experience.
The importance of universal photojournalism
The Istanbul competition also serves as a testament to the universality and timelessness of photojournalism, which, across all continents, presents events, cultures and stories that deserve to be seen and heard by all of humanity.
The Istanbul Best Photo Awards 2025 reaffirm the organisers' commitment to showing the diversity of the world through the lenses of photojournalists from all corners of the globe.
The photo of the year 2025 perfectly reflects this commitment. It is entitled ‘Gaza – Deir al-Balah’ and is the work of Palestinian photojournalist Saeed Jaras. It is a shocking snapshot, showing the despair and infinite sadness of two parents facing the dead bodies of their children after an Israeli bombing.
Description and meaning of the winning photograph
The mother clings to her two dead children, screaming, while the father, in a state of complete shock, shows an expression of sadness and disbelief that such a tragedy could be true. Their grief is so deep and intense that it makes them doubt that life has any meaning for them anymore.
In the jury's opinion, this photo best meets the demanding requirements for admission to the competition: it is technically excellent, captures an unforgettable moment in the news, and has a real impact on viewers. And in the case of ‘Gaza – Deir al-Balah’, taken in a tent just seconds after an Israeli bombing raid on central Gaza in August 2024, it combines human anguish with pure and simple emotion, leaving an immediate and indelible impression on the viewer.
Exhibition in Madrid and commemorations
Alongside this Best Photo of the Year, the exhibition of the thirty best works from the different sections has travelled to Madrid to be displayed at the headquarters of the Pons Foundation. Opened by the Turkish ambassador to Spain, Nuket Küçükel Ezberci, it coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Alliance of Civilisations, an initiative jointly promoted by Spain and Turkey in 2005.
Social issues and natural disasters
The exhibition covers both social tragedies and those caused by the uncontrollable fury of nature, including those corresponding to the storm that hit the Spanish east coast, especially in the communities of Valencia, Murcia, Castilla La Mancha and Andalusia.
Stories from Syria or of Afghan women, deprived even of the right to speak by the power of the Taliban, and locked in their own prison of clothing. An excellent image eloquently shows a woman covered by the mandatory burqa holding a cage in which a dove is locked. No viewer can fail to wonder, when faced with such an image, which of the two beings is more unfortunate.
Prominent Spanish photojournalists
Also noteworthy are two Spanish photojournalists, winners in their respective categories: Luis Tato and David Ramos. The former presented an impressive mosaic of snapshots taken in the wake of the severe floods in Kenya. The latter did the same with the closer floods caused by the Dana storm that ravaged cities and towns in Valencia in particular.
The misfortune of the athletes who, due to a misstep or an involuntary wrong move, ruined in an instant the work of four years of preparation to compete in the Paris Olympic Games, also has a place in the exhibition.
In one place or another around the world, in one circumstance or another, the fact is that the nearly two thousand photojournalists who submitted their work to the Istanbul competition have documented, sometimes in extremely difficult situations, historic moments that, thanks to their photographs, have now become part of history and the collective memory of humanity.
And, ultimately, they also make an unquestionable case against war, oppression and injustice.
