Envoys in Ankara vote in Anadolu Agency photo contest

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency's Photos of the Year contest gives encouragement and inspiration to photo-journalists across the globe, diplomats in the Turkish capital Ankara have said.

Participating in the ongoing international photo competition hosted by Anadolu Agency, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Ankara Mohamed Rizvi Hassen said on Thursday photos selected for the final round “express life”.

“These competitions are a drive for motivation,” noted Hassen.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey's premier news outlet, held its first Photos of the Year contest in 2012. This year, 76 images were selected from more than 750,000 photos from various parts of the world, including Syria, Palestine, Russia, China, and Azerbaijan. They are selected in three categories: news, life, and sports.

In the news category, Hassen voted for miraculously rescued 4-year-old Ayda Gezgin, who was pulled from the debris 91 hours after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook Turkey’s Aegean Sea coast, in Izmir, on Nov. 3.

“This photo shows courage of the rescue workers … it's the total mastery of the photographer,” Hassen observed.

Asked why he voted for an aerial photo of Muslims performing Friday prayer at the courtyard of Akdeniz University Mosque in Turkey, the Sri Lankan ambassador said: “It is more or less an artistic drone picture … the picture has aesthetic value. Whoever has taken this picture has given a thought of aesthetic value of this space. The beauty of the picture also lies in different colors.”

The photo was taken after Turkey began easing measures against the novel coronavirus at the Kumluca district of Turkey's southern Antalya province on May 29.

Hassen, about a photo of a Palestinian teen performing acrobatic feats and enjoy a sunny day at the Gaza beach in the Gaza City on July 17, said it shows “joy, courage, and relaxing of young Palestinians”.

- ‘Hard to choose photos’

Kee Houng Park, the director of the Korean Cultural Center in Ankara, said it was “hard” for him “to choose among the photos”.

“The photos submitted in this international contest were so excellent that it was hard to choose,” Park told Anadolu Agency.

Park voted for an open-air cinema in the life category. “I think the drive-in theater is a smart way to get both social distancing and cultural living,” he said.

A drone photo shows an aerial view of people watching a movie in their cars at an open-air cinema event held under COVID-19 pandemic measures in the central Nevsehir province of Turkey on May 30.

Like Hassen, Park also voted for a photo of 4-year-old Gezgin who was pulled from the debris 91 hours after the quake in Izmir last month.

“The miraculously rescued child from the Izmir earthquake reminds me of the preciousness of life,” said Park, who is also a counsellor at the South Korean Embassy in Ankara.

“It is a pity for children to wear masks due to the coronavirus,” the South Korean diplomat said, voting for the photo taken in the southeastern Turkish province of Siirt on June 11. The photo shows kids wearing masks as a measure against the virus while they play volleyball.

“I think it is good for sports to soak into naturally their hearts and lives. I wanted to make a volleyball court for them,” he said.

- Anadolu Agency's high profile int'l photo contest​​​​​​​

Photos will be selected in three categories -- news, life, and sport -- from works of Anadolu Agency photojournalists or correspondents who have had an impact on the Turkish and world agendas.

The photographs include those selected by Anadolu Agency photo editors and which are frequently used in leading media organs globally.

The images were put to a vote in the news category with 31 entries, life with 30 entries, and sports with 15 entries.

Categories are also available with Turkish and English captions.

Healthcare workers who are fighting with COVID-19 in the front of the line were the first group of people that took part in this year's voting.

Also, many people from different professions, students, athletes, and politicians have already chosen their favorite photos so far in Turkey.

Last year, nearly 280,000 people took part in the voting.

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