the 22nd edition of the IPA Awards in Athens
At the beginning of this year, I wrote a blog post about whether or not to enter photography contests. When I returned from Romania, I felt I had captured some unique images on my memory card—the kind you don’t often see online. I was able to visit homes and places that are rarely accessible to photographers. I’ve compiled some of these images into a series I’ve titled“Inside Romania.”
This series and a few individual photos from Romania have won awards in various photography contests, and I even won first place in the “People Photography” category at both the Monovisions Awards and the International Photography Awards (IPA). It’s an achievement I’m very proud of.
The IPA Awards invites all category winners to Athens and provides a financial contribution for this trip. It’s a four-day event filled with lectures and portfolio reviews, featuring an exhibition at the House of Lucie and a closing Awards Gala at the Benaki Museum. Since the chances that I’ll ever get to be a part of this again are slim—and because it’s the crowning achievement of my work—my husband and I decided to attend the exhibition and the Awards Gala together. We turned it into a long weekend in Athens.
It was a truly special experience, especially since we also had the opportunity to speak briefly with Abdelrahman Alkahlout, the overall winner, who documents the genocide in Gaza at great personal risk and for whom I have the utmost admiration. I would like to thank the jury members, the staff of the Farmani Group, and Hossein Farmani himself for organizing this wonderful event.