Istanbul Photo Awards 2022 exhibition kicks off in New York

An exhibition featuring a selection of photographs from Anadolu Agency's international news photography contest, Istanbul Photo Awards, has kicked off in New York.

Starting Thursday, more than 30 photographs covering major events around the world over the past year will be exhibited at the UN headquarters.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Turkish Ambassador to the UN Feridun Sinirlioglu said the exhibition, which will run until December 22, is a ''flesh and bone manifestation'' of some of the greatest challenges that humanity faces.

''You will see the sorrow, the desperation, the fear of the unknown and the longing in the eyes of the people that endured various challenges last year,'' he said.

''We are pleased to see the growing interest that Anadolu Agency's annual photo awards have enjoyed over the years.''

Tens of thousands of submissions

This year is the eighth edition of the annual international photography contest.

Oguz Karakas, Deputy Director-General of Anadolu Agency, said the contest is the biggest mark of the agency's strength in photography.

''Over the last eight years, 14,000 photographers have entered our competition,'' he said. ''In 2022 alone, photojournalists from 113 different nationalities applied with 16,000 different photos.''

He added that the photos featured here are an impressive selection skilfully taken by the world's leading photojournalists and selected by an international jury.

Bloomberg photographer Konstantinos Tsakalidis' photo titled "Woman from Evia" won the contest's Photo of the Year award.

Tsakalidis' photo was selected from more than 16,000 submissions from various parts of the world.

The Istanbul Photo Awards 2022 first opened as an exhibit in the Turkish city of Istanbul in September.

READ MORE: Anadolu Agency’s Istanbul Photo Awards 2021 winners are announced