Winners announced for 12thAndrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest
21 / 10 / 2026
The winners of the 12th Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest have been announced in Moscow. The awards ceremony took place on Wednesday, October 21, at the Museum of Moscow.
The Grand Prix was awarded to Lebanese photographer Abdul Kader Al Bay. The international jury unanimously presented him with the top honor for his photo series Lebanon, 2024–2025: Life Between Airstrikesin the Top News. Series category.
Abdul Kader Al Bay:
“In September 2024, Lebanon was drawn into a severe military conflict. The entire country came under Israeli airstrikes. Many were forced to flee their homes. Taken across various regions of Lebanon, these photographs capture the immediate aftermath of the strikes and the ongoing rescue operations. They portray how ordinary people endure the war and their losses, and how they strive to survive.”
Along with the Grand Prix winner, the award recipients in six categories were announced.
In Top News. Single, the first prize went to A Roof of Sky, A Floor of Ash by Bangladeshi photographer S.M. Al Muztaba Rosul. His work depicts people who lost their homes in a fire but endured thanks to their strength of spirit, mutual support and the help of people around them.
In Top News. Series, the winning series is titled Echoes of War, by Russian photographer Sergei Bobylev that chronicles the liberation of the town of Sudzha and several other areas in the Kursk Region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In Sports. Single, the winning entry was The Last Phase by Russian photographer Yevgeny Filippov. The photograph captured athletes warming up before the finals of the Kremlin Cup national diving competition.
In the contest’s most popular category among participants – My Planet – the first place went to the photograph Life on Sandbar by Solayman Hossain from Bangladesh. The photo highlights farmers’ ability to adapt to the fluctuation in river water levels. The best photo series in this category was We Live Here by Russian photographer Alisa Severnaya. It captures the lives of people in devastated settlements who, despite everything, refuse to leave their homes.
In Portrait. A Hero of Our Time, the top prizes were claimed by photojournalists from India and Russia.
The Stare of Faith is a photograph by Arpan Basu Chowdhury from India. Through the reflection of lights in the crown and the swirling sparks, the photographer conveys a sense that time itself bows before Mahadev.
The next winner is the series Dreams in the Darkby Russian photojournalist Maria Semyonova. The images tell the story of Afghan women living under gender discrimination and systematic violations of their rights.
In Top View. Single, the jury honored Floating Friday Prayers by Muhammad Amdad Hossein from Bangladesh.
In the special category called Energy of Life, the jury awarded first place to Pavel Volkov for his photo series Requiem, a project about people who remain in their cities torn apart by hostilities and refuse to lose hope.
In other categories, the jury awarded its prizes to the following contenders:
The ceremony in Moscow marked the launch of the exhibition tour featuring the winning works. This international project has already been hosted by major gallery venues across several countries. In Moscow, the works of the contest winners can be viewed at the Museum of Moscow until November 10.