U.S. Photographers Among Global Voices at the 2025 International Photography Awards™ in Athens.

Sej Saraiya — Photographer, Filmmaker, Writer

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the International Photography Awards™ (IPA) concluded in Athens, the conversation it sparked continues to resonate across continents, particularly among U.S.-based photographers, curators, and jurors whose work and leadership were integral to this year’s program. The Awards, which drew over 14,000 submissions from more than 100 countries, brought together some of the world’s most accomplished visual storytellers to explore photography’s evolving role as document, reflection, and bridge between communities.

The 2025 edition featured four days of exhibitions, portfolio reviews, and Photo Talks hosted at the House of Lucie Athens and the Benaki Museum, showcasing a broad range of contemporary visual storytelling. Reflecting on the competition, juror Frank Meo, Founder of The Photo Closer, remarked, ““The quality of this year’s submissions was truly exceptional, representing some of the most accomplished and innovative photography being created today. The IPA continues to stand as a top-tier competition, setting the highest standard for excellence and vision in the field.” Fellow juror Susan Spiritus, Owner of Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach, California, added, “This year was the best! The submissions were terrific and I found so many highly qualified for the ‘top honors’ that it was hard to select my top 5!”

During the festival’s Photo Talks, Abdelrahman Alkahlout, named Photographer of the Year, spoke about the cost of documenting life under siege in Gaza, where more than 280 journalists have been killed since the war began. Ben Battersby, a Buenos Aires–based photographer, shared his project Breathe, a series of self-portraits made while living with stage-4 cancer—a meditation on mortality and presence.

Sej Saraiya, a Topanga-based artist whose photograph of a Buddha beside a burned car from the 2025 Palisades Fire earned honors in the Editorial/General News (Professional) category, reflected on the resilience of her California community in the aftermath of the blaze, evoking a poignant connection with Athens, a city similarly scarred by recent catastrophic fires. “For centuries, the Chumash and Tongva people, indigenous to the land, practiced controlled burns,” she said. “But when they were driven out, the practice went with them.” Reflecting on a moment she discovered a clay Buddha statue standing unscathed amid the ruins, she added, “The greatest form of resilience is the one we build from within.”

The festival also hosted portfolio review sessions at the House of Lucie, where photographers met with prominent industry figures including Hossein Farmani (Founder, The Lucie Awards & IPA), Claudio Composti (Artistic Director, mc2gallery, Milan), Daria Bonera (Director, DB Agency), Emanuele Cucuzza (Founder, Image in Progress), and Paris Chong (Gallery Director and Curator, Leica Gallery Los Angeles), a celebrated figure in the Los Angeles art scene who has curated exhibitions internationally and championed photographers whose work pushes visual and cultural boundaries.

This year’s International Photography Awards™ honored 22 category winners — 11 in Professional and 11 in Non-Professional categories — recognizing the diversity and innovation defining contemporary photography. Among the Professional winners were Julia Fullerton-Batten (Fine Art Photographer of the Year), Jonathan Knowles(Advertising), Piotr Zbierski (Analog/Film), Romain Thiery (Architecture), Autori Multipli (Book), Abdelrahman Alkahlout (Editorial/Press), Savadmon Avalachamveettil (Event), Sho Otani (Nature), Natasha Pszenicki (People), Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz (Special), and Todd Antony (Sports).

The International Photography Awards™are anchored by the legacy of the Lucie Foundation, headquartered in Los Angeles, whose mission is to honor master photographers, discover emerging talent, and promote global appreciation of photography. The Foundation has recognized some of the most influential figures in the medium, including Henri Cartier-Bresson and Cristina Mittermeier, underscoring the caliber of creators aligned with its vision.

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