Şebnem Coşkun, a Turkish photojournalist from Anadolu Agency (AA), won the first prize in the Nature and Environment category and the finalist award in the Photographer of the Year, Asia category at the Pictures of the Year (POY) Asia, a prestigious international contest.

Coşkun won the Nature and Environment category with her image of a diver surrounded by COVID-19 waste in the Mediterranean Sea. This photo of Turkish diver Şahika Ercümen was taken last year in the Bosporus Strait to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the seas.

Speaking about her photo, Coşkun said she hopes to draw more attention to the issue "which is the responsibility and problem of every individual globally."

She was also the finalist in the Photographer of the Year, Asia category for her series of photos, "Asylum Seekers on Move to Reach Europe" and "Turkey's COVID-19 Story."

"I have followed the migrants in the northwestern province of Edirne. It is a great pleasure for me to give voice to those people and to be able to fulfill my professional duty. The process was the same for COVID-19," she said.