Portrait Series
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[ PORTRAIT SERIES ] A series of photographs that reflects a strong sense of identity or narrative. Respect for the dignity of the person is important. Submissions do not have to adhere to documentary principles. Alternate processes and digital manipulations are allowed. Each submission consists of 5 to 10 images. Each participant is allowed to enter up to 3 submissions. All images must be taken in 2022.
Judges for Portrait Series
Quick links to award categories: Spot News / Portraits / Nature & Environment / Recreational & Traditional Sports / Sports Action / General News / Daily Life / Daily Life Picture Story / Portrait Series / Issue Reporting Picture Story / Cultural Practices / Photographer of the Year, Asia
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On February 24, 2022, the Russian government launched a war against Ukraine, which caused strong anti-war sentiment in Russia. Several hundred thousand Russians were forced to leave Russia due to disagreement with state policy and the danger of political persecution. Armenia turned out to be one of the centers of Russian emigration, where over 150,000 people emigrated in 2 months. Many had to leave everything in Russia: apartments, work and belongings, however, they do not plan to go back and continue to protest against the war.
Chemical dependency of addicts is a great suffer for their relatives. Parents,wives, children devote their lives to their addicts' illness, forgetting about themselves. This makes the problem worse & worse. One could say that co-dependents are also addicted, but not to the substance, but to the loved one. Addicts and co-dependents mirror each other. And when one of them changes his or her way of thinking and behavior, it changes the life of the whole family. I made photos of co-dependents reflecting in the mirror, and I saw myself in those reflections
Following the death of 22-year-old student, Mahsa Amini, on 16 September 2022, thousands of Iranians take to the streets every day. They have been demonstrating for more freedom and equal rights. Since 2009, Iranians have revolted multiple times, but never before have the demonstrations in Iran been as massive and outspoken as those in recent months. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, since the start of the Iranian protests in the second half of September, the Iranian regime has arrested almost 20,000 Iranians and killed at least 527, including 71 children. Furthermore, hundreds of Iranian antigovernmental protesters lost their eyesight due to injuries caused by security forces firing shotguns and paintballs at their heads. Iran’s security forces have blinded over 500 protesters since mid-September. Three types of pellets are used in shotguns: birdshots, buckshot and slugs. Several young Iranians who lost one or both eyes after security forces shot at their faces, say they do not regret having protested against the regime. This portrait series deals with the young people lost their eyes and visions during these protest. Pleas do not publish the portraits under my name. Because of security issues, I prefer to publish them anonymously. In fact, if it is published under my name, I will be in danger in my country.
Yakutia is the largest constituent entity of the Russian Federation in terms of territory, surpassing Argentina in area. Almost half of the territory of Yakutia is located beyond the Arctic Circle. The region is known primarily for its extreme climatic conditions. Summers are very short here, and winters are long and cold. On the territory of Yakutia there is a "cold pole" of the Northern hemisphere – Oymyakon, where the absolute minimum temperature reaches – 71 degrees Celsius. My trip to Yakutia began in the winter month, when the lowest temperatures are kept here. I wanted to learn more and tell you how people live in this harsh and cold region. I was on my way to the Oymyakon district, popularly called the "pole of cold". My journey took place on winter roads (frozen rivers that are used as roads) and mountain serpentines. Hundreds of kilometers of snow-capped mountains, forests, cold and lack of civilization. Only rare and small settlements where people live. In the evening, when the sun was setting, for a few minutes everything was covered with an unusual blue color for me, I called it "the color of cold". The region was plunging into the night cold, from which I wanted to hide faster. Mammoths and permafrost are the real symbols of Yakutia, animals that have become extinct, but their spirit has remained here forever; and eternal ice that never melts, even in summer Due to global warming, scientists are concerned about the rapid melting of permafrost, which can lead to the destruction of the infrastructure created by man and the strengthening of the greenhouse effect on earth
“They cut your body and take out an important part of you. After that you have sentenced to live for sheltering that piece of gift of you.” Mobina says. I was 23 , she was 19 , we got married and soonly Mobina got pregnant .pregnancy was a new episode that was like a prelude to a newer ,more complicated and exciting season. after the birth of our daughter ,mobina suffered of Postpartum Depression . Being a mother with this problem ,that was not what we expected and changed our situation to other level .more challenging,hard, joyful,colorful,satysfynig ,depressed.it was kind of paradoxical situation . As Mobina says: it is like being a prisoner in heaven.
Award of Excellence
One Year On: The Women Determined to Work in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
Lillian Suwanrumpha
Agence France-Presse
Thailand
Since their takeover a year ago, the Taliban have squeezed Afghan women out of public life, imposing suffocating restrictions on where they can work, how they can travel, and what they can wear. There is hardly a woman in the country who has not lost a male relative in successive wars, while many of their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers have also lost their jobs or seen their income shattered as a result of a deepening economic crisis. This portrait series taken in Kabul, Kandahar and Herat provinces show Afghan women who are determined to continue working and studying under the brutal regime, as they speak about their experiences since the takeover as well as future hopes and dreams.
In The Dominance series, the acute condition of women in Iran has been reflected using the female body as a confiscated object of the patriarchal society. The portrait of these women, devoid of subjectivity, has been shown through an exaggerated made up stage. A cold and lifeless face with revealing eyes, the background, what they have in their hands, and what they wear reveal their emotion and even their condition in the society. In the exaggerated arrangement of the elements on the stage in each frame, there are implicit and repeated references to the contemporary history of Iranian women and their pent-up Fury. Domestic and cultural violence against Iranian women has always been a serious threat to their growth and prosperity. Discriminations in the family and society has been a great barrier in front of them. They even cannot express their emotions. These suppressions and oppressions leads them to many problems. These days, Iranian women demand freedom with the slogan of "Woman, Life, Freedom". In fact, it is the greatest movement during recent decades in Iran. Iranian Women fix their eyes towards the future, and a hope that it will hold a better situation for them.
