The First Ten Years

The First Ten Years brings together the most striking images from a decade of the Istanbul Photo Awards, an international news photography competition curated by Anadolu Ajansı (AA), a global news organization with over a century of reporting experience.

Supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), this special edition features award-winning and finalist photographs from 2015 to 2024, as well as reflections and commentary from the jury. Since its launch, the Istanbul Photo Awards has drawn over 18,000 photojournalists from across the globe, with more than 125,000 images submitted.

The competition has become a vital platform for showcasing photography that captures major global events and moments of profound human significance. Each year, it highlights powerful stories behind images of war, protests, natural disasters, sports events, and scenes from daily life.

This volume includes the top three photographs in each category, along with the stories behind them. It also features the work of finalists, offering a broader perspective on the creative range and emotional resonance of the entries.

A tribute to the enduring power of photojournalism, The First Ten Years offers an intimate look at some of the most unforgettable and moving images of the past decade—images that capture the essence of the human condition and the vital role of visual storytelling in our world.