The key facts
- The second exhibition of İstanbul Photo Awards 2026 opened in Rome, featuring more than 50 awarded photographs, running until October 30
- Photo of the Year — the Gaza shot “Gaza, No Hope” by Haytham Imad (EPA): two-year-old Sham Kudeih weighing 4 kg at Nasser Hospital; the girl is being treated in Naples
- In 2026, 19,000 photographs were submitted to the contest; since 2015 — more than 207,000 shots from about 22,000 photographers
Opening in Rome
The second exhibition of the İstanbul Photo Awards 2026 contest, organized by the Anadolu agency, opened on Thursday in Rome at the Il Portale Ostiense venue. After the first exhibition in Ankara, the Italian public was shown more than 50 awarded photographs of the international contest. The opening ceremony was attended by guests from diplomatic, media, cultural and business circles, including Anadolu Director General Serdar Karagöz, Turkey’s Ambassador to Rome Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, Turkey’s Ambassador to the Vatican Fahrettin Altun, Palestine’s Ambassador to the Vatican Issa Kassissieh, Kyrgyzstan’s Ambassador to Rome Ermek Omuraliev, Iraq’s Chargé d’Affaires to the Vatican Ammar M. Dawood, the TRNC representative in Rome Mustafa Kemal Beyazbayram, coordinator of Anadolu’s academy and publications Yahya Bostan, and director of international marketing at the Italian agency ANSA Rodolfo Cardarelli.
Words from the organizers
Karagöz noted that photography captures an era and shows the world as it is, and that the contest is meant to make stories visible and support photographers willing to show the world without embellishment. According to him, since the contest was launched in 2015, about 22,000 photographers have submitted more than 207,000 shots, 19,000 of them this year alone. He emphasized that photography is a way to document history and reveal the truth, and that the responsibility of photojournalists is especially great amid wars and genocide.
Photo of the Year — a shot from Gaza
The international jury selected the Photo of the Year — a shot by Palestinian photographer Haytham Imad for the EPA agency titled “Gaza, No Hope.” It shows two-year-old girl Sham Kudeih at Nasser Hospital in Gaza: according to Karagöz, she suffered from severe hunger and illness and weighed only 4 kilograms. After the photograph was taken, the girl was taken to Naples for treatment, and according to Karagöz, she is now recovering. He added that Sham’s story reflects the suffering of many other children in Gaza and that, in his words, it is necessary to see the end of the genocide in Gaza.
Ambassadors’ speeches
Turkey’s Ambassador to Rome Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen noted that Anadolu is holding such an exhibition in Rome for the first time and expressed hope that it will become a tradition. She also called Anadolu an institution with a long history, which will mark its 103rd anniversary next week. Turkey’s Ambassador to the Vatican Fahrettin Altun called the exhibition “a window into our world” and said that the power of the Photo of the Year lies in the fact that it places a human being at the center of geopolitics. According to him, what is happening in Gaza is a human tragedy in which hunger has been turned into an instrument of genocide, and the photographs are testimonies before history.
Program and support
After the speeches, Anadolu’s Visual News Director Aykut Ünlüpunar and the agency’s Rome correspondent Barış Sekin guided the guests through the exhibition. The display covers the themes of Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, ecology, sports and space debris. The exhibition in Rome is open until October 30. The communication sponsor of the contest this year is Turkcell, international events are supported by TIKA, and partial transportation sponsorship is provided by Turkish Airlines.
