The jury of the Istanbul Photo Awards 2022, organized by Anadolu Agency (AA), has announced the winners of this year's contest. Bloomberg photographer Konstantinos Tsakalidis' photo titled "Woman from Evia" won the Photo of the Year award at the eighth edition of the annual international photography contest.
In the Single News category, Getty Images photojournalist Drew Angerer received second prize for his work, in which he captured the violent Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Paul Ratje took third place with his photograph reflecting the difficulties faced by refugees trying to enter an encampment in the U.S. state of Texas.
Professional photojournalists entered the contest with photos demonstrating last year's global events, from the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan to floods in Indonesia, from the Australian Open tennis tournament to protests over the United Kingdom's coronavirus restrictions.
Two finalists were awarded at the suggestion of jury members in the Story Portrait category. A total of 19 photographers received prizes in seven categories.
This year, the contest was supported by Canon, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Turkish Airlines (THY), the nation's flag carrier.
The jury members selected the winners through a platform designed exclusively for the contest by the AA Information Technologies team due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking about this year's contest, Serdar Karagöz, the agency's director-general, said the power of photos extends news content beyond language, space and time.
He praised photojournalists for continuing their work with dedication despite the disruption to normal life due to the pandemic.
Highlighting the importance being placed on the quality of photographs submitted, he said: "I would like to thank all the photographers who made us witnesses of the anxiety of the California fires, the excitement of the Olympic Games, and the heartbreaking moments in refugee camps. Additionally, I thank each jury member for their invaluable contributions to the contest."
He stressed that AA will continue to support photography in the coming years with the Istanbul Photo Awards, which has turned into a platform that all professional photographers in the world wait for with interest.
Congratulating Mehmet Aslan, who received the first prize for "Single Nature and Environment" with his photo that exposes the effects of drought, Karagöz said: "Special news projects spanning several years will be evaluated in the long-term projects category that we will open next year."
Information related to the jury and award-winning photographs can be accessed via the website
