Istanbul Photo Awards exhibition opens in Sakarya

SAKARYA

The fifth exhibition of the Istanbul Photo Awards 2025, organized by state-run Anadolu Agency, opened in the northwestern province of Sakarya, featuring award-winning images selected from nearly 22,000 submissions by an international jury.

The exhibition showcases photographs that won awards in 10 categories in the international news photography contest and is on display at the Ofis Art Center as part of Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality’s December cultural and arts program. It will remain open to visitors through Jan. 11, 2026.

Speaking at the opening, Anadolu’s Türkiye News Director Hasan Ay said the agency carries out multifaceted work in photography and organizes competitions closely followed by the global press photography community.

“We shed light on realities that some parts of the world do not want to see,” he said.

Ay said the number of photographs distributed worldwide by Anadolu this year exceeded 1 million. He added that photography once again proved to be a powerful tool during Israel’s genocide in Palestine.

Ay added that photographers from 114 countries submitted nearly 22,000 photographs to this year’s contest.

The Sakarya exhibition follows previous displays in Ankara, Istanbul, New York and Madrid.

Applications for the 2026 İstanbul Photo Awards are ongoing. The competition will award a total of $58,000 in prizes across 10 categories, including news, sports, nature, portrait and daily life. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 9, 2026.