And the Winners Are: 12th Stenin Photo Contest Crowns This Year’s Best
Visitors at the exhibition of laureates of the 2024 Andrei Stenin International Photojournalism Contest in Tehran, Iran
The 12th Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest winners were unveiled during an awards ceremony at the Museum of Moscow on Wednesday, October 21.The Grand Prix (Grand Prize) was awarded to Lebanese photographer Abdul Kader Al-Bay. The international jury unanimously selected his photo series «Lebanon, 2024–2025: Life Between Airstrikes» in the Top News (Photo Series) category for the contest’s highest honor.Abdul Kader Al-Bay, a Sputnik correspondent in Lebanon:
"In September 2024, Lebanon was drawn into a severe military conflict. The entire country came under Israeli airstrikes. Many people were forced to leave their homes. These photographs were taken in different parts of Lebanon. They capture what happened in the first moments after the strikes and during the rescue operations. The images show how ordinary people experience war and loss, and how they struggle to survive."
Alongside the grand prize recipient, winners across six categories were also announced.In the Top News (Single Photo) category, first place went to Bangladeshi photographer S.M. Al Muztaba Rosul for «The Sky as a Roof, Ashes as a Floor,» which captures people who lost their homes in a fire but persevered through resilience, mutual support, and outside help.In the Top News (Photo Series) category, Russian photographer Sergey Bobylev won first place for «Echoes of War.» The series documents the Russian army’s recapture of Sudzha and several other settlements in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces.The Sports (Single Photo) category’s top prize was awarded to Russian photographer Evgeny Filippov for «The Final Phase,» a photograph depicting athletes warming up in the run-up to the final of the Kremlin Cup, a nationwide diving competition.In the contest’s most popular category, My Planet, Bangladeshi photographer Soleyman Hossain took first place for «Life on a Sandbar,» a snapshot that highlights how farmers adapt to changing river water levels.The top prize for a photo series in the same category went to Russian photographer Alisa Severnaya for «We Live Here,» which documents the lives of people who remain in their homes in war-ravaged communities despite the destruction around them.In the Portrait: A Hero of Our Time category, prizes went to photojournalists from India and Russia.Indian photographer Arpan Basu Chowdhury was recognized for «The Gaze of Faith,» a photograph in which reflections of light in a crown and swirling sparks combine to create the impression that time itself bows before Mahadev.Russian photojournalist Maria Semenova took home an award for her series «Dreams in Darkness,» portraying Afghan women living under gender discrimination and systematic violations of their rights.In the Top View (Single Photo) category, the jury prize went to Bangladeshi photographer Muhammad Amdad Hossain for his «Friday Prayer by the River.»In the special Energy of Life category, the top prize was awarded to Pavel Volkov for his photo series «Requiem,» depicting people who remain in their hometowns after combat has ended, refusing to lose hope.The Moscow ceremony did more than honor the winners: it launched an international exhibition tour of their work, one that is already carrying the photographs to major galleries across several countries.In the Russian capital, the winning works will be on display at the Museum of Moscow until November 10.
About the contest
The «Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest» is named in honor of Andrei Stenin, a special photo correspondent for the Rossiya Segodnya international media group and a recipient of the Order of Courage, who was killed near Donetsk in the summer of 2014.Launched by Rossiya Segodnya in December 2014, the contest keeps Andrei Stenin’s memory alive by supporting young photojournalists and shining a light on the pressures of modern photojournalism.Now marking its 12th year in 2026, the contest remains Russia’s only international platform dedicated to young photojournalists.The competition features the following categories: Top News, Sports, My Planet, Portrait: A Hero of Our Time, and Top View. Awards are presented separately for single photographs and photo series.The special Energy of Life category was introduced in 2026 for photographers over the age of 34.
WorldThe Stenin Contest International Tour Continues in Tehran18 September, 12:31 GMT
