Iranian photojournalist Asghar Khamseh won the top prize for his powerful portraits of acid attack victims at the Sony World Photography Awards 2016.
The artist has been named ‘L’Iris d’Or Photographer of the Year’ for his “harrowing 8-item collection ‘Fire of Hatred’,” Independent News website reported.
He also won in the Contemporary Issues category.
In an introduction to his collection, Khamseh wrote: “Acid throwing is a kind of violence that mostly targets women and children. The attacks are committed with the deliberate intent to disfigure, maim, torture, and destroy the social life and future of the victim.
“The motive to commit such crime is cultural destitution and intolerance, and happens in situations where there are family conflicts, rejected marriage proposals, revenge and requests for divorce. In addition to physical and psychological damages, victims face social stigma, finger-pointing and unpleasant name tags. They are in dire need of medical and financial support, and counseling.”
‘Wakeup Call’ by Alexander Ingle, ‘Selfie Nero Lake’ by Stefano Guerrini, ‘The Diving Frog, by Franck Tridon, ‘Enchanted Bamboo Forest’ by Kei Nomiyana and ‘The Secret of his Eyes’ by Daniel ArranzMolinero, were among the shortlisted works.
Held in the UK, the Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s biggest photography competition and its aim is to recognize and reward the best contemporary photography in the world.
The Contemporary Issues section also included themes on the Ukraine conflict, Europe’s refugee crisis and underwater photography.The other sections include ‘Student Focus,’ ‘National Awards’ ‘Open & Youth’.
‘Fire of Hatred’ had previously ranked second in the Pictures of the Year Latin America (POY Latam) contest and had reached the finals of the LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015.
This year’s competition attracted a record-breaking 230,103 submissions, with 14 professional category winners and finalists announced on April 21, ahead of an exhibition at London’s Somerset House.
All shortlisted photographs are on show at the venue through May 8.
