US consul general in Istanbul votes in Anadolu Agency photo contest

By Yunus Turk

ISTANBUL (AA) – Daria Darnell, the US consul general in Istanbul, on Wednesday cast her vote in Anadolu Agency’s Photos of the Year competition.

Darnell, who has held her post since June 2019, cast votes in the news, life, and sports categories.

In the sports category, she picked Sebnem Coskun’s photo of Sahika Ercumen, who dove to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Calling Ercumen an inspiring figure who uses her world-class talent for important ends, Darnell said: "This photograph, taken to raise awareness of breast cancer, is beautiful, and I was honored to meet her at an event earlier this year focused on the cleaning of marine waste from the Bosphorus.”

In the life category, she picked Isa Terli’s photo of the crescent moon appearing over Istanbul. She said the photo reflects the city's deep history and unique beauty.

In the news category, she chose Mahmut Serdar Alakus’s photo of rope access technicians working in wind turbines in the Aegean Izmir province.

"What a wonderful working environment. Turkey has made great progress in increasing the amount of energy from renewable sources,” she said.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey's premier news outlet, held its first Photos of the Year contest in 2012. This year, 67 images were selected from more than 825,000 photos from various parts of the world, including Syria, Palestine, Russia, Canada, and Brazil.

This year's voting will continue through Dec. 31 at Anadolu Agency's website at aa.com.tr/photooftheyear​​​​​​​

*Writing by Gozde Bayar