Russian photographers hail Istanbul Photo Awards

Russian photographers of the 2017 Istanbul Photo Awards said the event had provided them a much-needed platform to exhibit their work.

Anadolu Agency opened the sixth exhibition of photographs from its 2017 Istanbul Photo Awards on Thursday in Moscow.

Ninety award-winning images are on display at the Red October Gallery on Bersenevsky Lane from Nov. 9-19.

"I am really happy that I won the competition," Mary Gelman, who garnered the first prize in the Story Portrait category for her photographs focusing women as victims of violence, told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

Gelman said she exhibited her work in Istanbul and New York during the Istanbul Photo Awards 2017.

"I started getting comments from all over the world when my work appeared at this internationally recognized exhibition," she said.

Gelman said her pictures depict women who encountered physical and psychological violence.

"The preparation of my project was difficult and took a long time," Gelman said, adding that she will continue working with the prize money she won in the competition.

Elena Anosova, who won the second prize in the Story Nature and Environment category, said that prize money from the exhibition had provided her with the funds she needed to start new projects.

"Especially if you are an independent photographer, you can continue with projects thanks to the prizes you win from such a great competition," she said.

Alexey Filippov, who won the second prize in the Story Sports category, said the competition was well-executed.

Filippov said the real challenges of Olympic athletes could not be captured on camera.

"I am proud to be able to depict these challenges to people in different parts of the world thanks to the Istanbul Photo Awards," he said.

Applications for the 2018 Istanbul Photo Awards are being accepted from Nov. 1 until Jan. 31, 2018.

There are 10 categories, including Single News and Story News, Single Sports and Story Sports, Single Portrait and Story Portrait, Single Nature & Environment and Story Nature & Environment.