30 amazing photos from the Istanbul Photo Awards 2025 (30 photos)

The winners of the prestigious Istanbul Photo Awards 2025, which celebrates exceptional achievements in reportage photography, have been announced. The competition was held for the 11th time by Turkey's Anadolu News Agency, receiving over 20,000 entries from around the world. A total of 29 photographers were awarded in ten different categories. The Photo of the Year went to Palestinian Said Jaras' work "Gaza-Deir el-Balah".

1st place "Sport, one shot" (Jerome Brouillet/ Afp/ France)





Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina celebrates his victory at the Olympic Games, July 29, 2024, Teaupo'o, Tahiti.

2nd Place "Sports One Shot" (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images/UK)



Australia's Michelle Jenneke (third from right) knocks down a barrier during the first round of the 100m at the Paris Olympic Games on August 7, 2024.

3rd Place "Sports, One Shot" (Camilo Diaz/ Colombia)

A school of sardines performs a mesmerizing dance in which thousands of tiny fish move in sync, creating a sense of order and chaos at the same time. Photo taken on February 1, 2024, off the coast of Moalboal, Philippines.

1st Place "Nature & Environment, One Shot" (Anton Brink/ Epa/ Iceland)



Lava flows along a road near Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, November 21, 2024.

2nd place "Nature and Environment, One Shot" (Bence Mate/ Hungary)



In the golden rays of a Kenyan sunset, an African bush elephant strides across the plain. At the same time, a flock of red-billed weavers rise into the sky, like a symbol of the harmony of life in the savannah. Photo taken on September 15, 2024.

3rd Place "Nature and Environment, One Shot" (Jianxing Zhu/ China)



Farmers pick plums at night on Qilin Mountain in Zhaoqing city, Guangdong province, June 15, 2024. In recent years, they have begun to set up tents to protect the trees from adverse weather conditions such as typhoons and frosts.

1st place "Portrait, series" (Samar Abu Eluf/ The New York Times/ Palestine)



Ruba Abu Jibba lost an eye during an Israeli attack. She is one of many seriously wounded Gazans who survived the war that claimed tens of thousands of lives. Fortunately, her family managed to escape to Qatar.

1st Place, Portrait Series (Samar Abu Eluf/ The New York Times/ Palestine)



2nd Place, Portrait Series (Michael Pappas/ Greece)



Traditional Greek attire is a reflection of social status and identity, highlighting the changing role of women in society. In rural areas, women preferred comfortable clothes, while in the city, fashion was meant to show off wealth. Until the 20th century, 80% of women worked in agriculture. However, with the development of industry, 60% of them began to engage in crafts. By 1920, only 35% of women were literate.

Since 2019, the Mitos project offers a look at traditional costumes in a modern context.

2nd place "Portrait, series" (Michael Pappas/ Greece)



2nd place "Portrait, series" (Michael Pappas/ Greece)



1st place "Nature and Environment, series" (Louis Tato/ Afp/ Spain)



In 2024, Kenya experienced one of the worst floods in its history. The disaster exposed the country's vulnerability to extreme weather conditions: at least 300 people died, more than 55,000 families fled their homes, murky waters inundated villages, destroyed roads and overflowed dams.

1st place "Nature and Environment, Series" (Luis Tato/ Afp/ Spain)



3rd place "Nature and Environment, Series" (Marko Djurica/ Reuters/ Serbia)



At least 22 people have died as a result of floods and landslides that have destroyed entire villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vital transport routes connecting central and southern Bosnia have been severely damaged. Heavy rains have flooded businesses and homes and destroyed livestock.

3rd place "Nature and Environment, Series" (Marko Djurica/ Reuters/ Serbia)



1st place "Portrait, Single Photo" (Mauro De Bettio/ Italy)



An Afghan woman in a blue burqa holds a dove in a cage. This expressive image embodies current themes. The cage symbolizes restrictions and barriers, and the dove - the desire for freedom. Photo taken on March 21, 2024.

2nd Prize, Portrait, Single Photograph (Mérilise Vigneault/ France)



Dzabuli Bendeliani was born in Abkhazia, a region of Georgia, during World War II. In 1992, when the Georgian-Abkhazian war began, she was forced to flee her home. Her daughter's doll remains the only thing that reminds her of her past life.

Like thousands of other displaced people, Dzabuli settled in a sanatorium in Tskaltubo, a Soviet-era resort town, where she spent the next 30 years. Photo taken October 16, 2024.

1st place "Sports Series" (Hannah MacKay/ Reuters/ UK)



Gymnast Simone Biles at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The leader of the US team led the team to gold in the team all-around. Biles herself became a 7-time Olympic champion, she is also a 23-time world champion. In terms of the total number of awards, she ranks first in history.

1st place "Sports Series" (Hannah Mackay/ Reuters/ UK)



2nd place "Sports Series" (Christopher Rogel/ Mexico)



Faces bloodied from broken light bulbs, backs scarred from falling on thumbtacks, foreheads cut by forks and barbed wire. But in this chaos and madness, there is euphoria, screams and adrenaline. This is the battle at the Tultitlan dump in Mexico.

2nd place "Everyday life, one photo" (Samir Al-Doumi/ AFP/ France)



A Syrian sells vegetables in front of a damaged tank. This photo was taken in Homs on December 20, 2024. On the night of December 8, anti-government forces entered Damascus and overthrew President Bashar al-Assad, ending five decades of Baathist rule in Syria.

1st place "Everyday Life, Series" (Valentina Sinis/ Italy)



Today, Afghanistan faces many challenges, and one of the most serious is the restriction of women's rights and freedoms. Since the Taliban returned to power, more than 70 laws have significantly reduced women's access to education, work, health care and freedom of movement. However, despite these restrictions, Afghan women show amazing resilience and strength.

1st place "Everyday Life, Series" (Valentina Sinis/ Italy)



2nd place "Everyday Life, Series" (Mads Nissen/ Politiken - Panos Pictures/ Denmark)



Every year, millions of Latin Americans flock to the United States in search of a better life. Many migrants risk their lives by taking the freight train called La Bestia (The Beast).

2nd place "Everyday Life, series" (Mads Nissen/ Politiken - Panos Pictures/ Denmark)



2nd place "Everyday Life, series" (Mads Nissen/ Politiken - Panos Pictures/ Denmark)



3rd place "Everyday Life, series" (Fabio Bucciarelli/ La Repubblica/ Italy)



Haiti is in turmoil, with gangs controlling much of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The streets have become unsafe, and around 60% of schools remain closed. The violence has forced more than 578,000 people to seek refuge in makeshift camps, where there is a shortage of food, clean water and essential medical care.

1st place "News, Series" (Omar Al-Qattaa/ AFP/ Palestine)



Israel continues to attack Palestine.

1st Place "News Series" (Omar Al-Qattaa/ Afp/ Palestine)



Photo of the Year: "Gaza-Deir al-Balah" (Said Jaras/ Palestine)



A mother and father mourn their children killed in an Israeli airstrike on their tent in the Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah on August 28 2024.