Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest
The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest is an annual contest for young photojournalists aged between 18 and 33. The contest was founded on December 22, 2014 by the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency under the auspices of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO. The contest is named after Andrei Stenin , Rossiya Segodnya special photojournalist who was killed in the line of duty in southeastern Ukraine. The competition is aimed at supporting young photographers and promoting the goals of contemporary photojournalism. This is Russia's only platform that helps young photographers make  a name for themselves. In 2017, over 5,000 photos from the record 76 countries were submitted to the contest, which is taking place for the third time. Touring exhibitions have become a tradition for the contest: in 2015 and 2016 the winning photos were exhibited in Cape Town, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Cairo, Berlin, Shanghai, Budapest, Rome and other cities. The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest not only presents new photographers to the public, but also gives the world's best photojournalists an opportunity to gain a new audience and receive feedback. People follow the news about the contest and  look forward to its exhibitions. The 2017 winning photos exhibition took place in Athens, Madrid, Istanbul, Shanghai, Warsaw, Mexico, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Beirut and Budapest. The annual submission period starts on December 22, on Andrei Stenin's birthday. Main criteria and categories. Photojournalists aged between 18 and 33 can take part in the competition. The jury will select winners of the first, second and third place for a single photo and winners of the first, second and third place for a series. Some works can receive jury honorary mention. One of the photographers on the shortlist will receive the Grand  Prix and will be announced at the official award ceremony. In 2018, the main categories are: Top news. This category features important events in the lives of individuals and nations: leading political and social events, reports from war zones and natural disaster sites, as well as decisive moments in people's lives. Sports. This category involves entries that feature moments in sport: athletes’ victories and dramatic defeats, regular training and the beauty of sports competitions. My planet. This category features works reflecting the entire multicolored palette of topics and images from all over the world. The author's task is  to show an everyday life kaleidoscope in its timeless beauty and harmony, uniting scenes from everyday life; the life of big cities and small towns, images of nature, ethnic and religious holidays. Portrait. A Hero of Our Time. This category features individual or group portraits. Photos can be documentary or staged. The determining factor in this category is the author's ability to reveal the inner world of their characters, express their mental qualities and character through the uniqueness of their appearance and image as a whole. Jury. The jury will comprise the world's renowned photographers famous for their  ability to present diverse views on the world. Winners. In 2015, the Grand Prix was presented to Yelena Anosova (Russia) for the series Separation about women in prisons. In 2016, the Grand Prix was presented to Danilo Garcia Di Meo (Italy) for the series Letizia, A Story of an Invisible Life about the life of a paralyzed young woman. In 2017, the Grand Prix went to Alejandro Martinez Velez (Spain) for the series Migrants in Belgrade. Interesting facts. The 2015 Grand Prix winner Yelena Anosova won the 2017 World Press Photo Award, the world's most renowned photo contest. Alexei  Filippov, the winner of the 2015-2017 contest in the Sports category, won the Istanbul Photo Awards international contest of news and sports photography. Italian photographer Danilo Garcia Di Meo won the 2016 Grand Prix for a series featuring a paralyzed young woman, Letizia. The jury was moved by her story and provided Letizia the opportunity to visit Russia where she could tell her story and inspire those who were facing the same problems. The winner of the 2016 contest in the Sports category Vladimir Astapkovich won the annual International Photography Awards (IPA). Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest The