MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2021) The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest has received entries from new countries, with young photographers from Tunisia, Thailand and the Republic of the Congo taking part in the contest for the first time.
As of mid-February, photos from dozens of countries have been submitted to the seventh contest, which started in December. Russia, India, Bangladesh, Iran and Brazil make up the top five countries with the most applications.
Oksana Oleinik, the contest's curator, said the global health crisis did certainly leave its mark on this year's contest but did not define their work.
"It is more interesting for young photographers to talk about the signs of the new reality that the pandemic is shaping in the world than to simply replicate its images," she said.
In late January, the organizers presented the international jury team that includes members of the world's largest media outlets and celebrated photographers who have graced the panel in the past.
Photographers aged between 18 and 33 have until February 28 to submit single photos or series in four categories � Top News, sports, My Planet and Portrait: A Hero of Our Time. Participants may submit one photo in two categories � a single and a series.
Winners will be awarded 125,000 rubles ($1,700), 100,000 rubles ($1,350) and 75,000 rubles ($1,000) respectively for the first, second and third places in each category. The winner of the Grand Prix will bag 700,000 rubles ($9,500).
The Andrei Stenin photo contest is organized by the Rossiya Segodnya news agency under the patronage of the Russian Commission for UNESCO. It aims to support young photographers and draw public attention to modern challenges of photojournalism.
