Winners of UNICEF-MoCIG’s national photo contest

Iranian photojournalist, Abdollah Heidari, has been awarded the first-place winner of the 3rd joint Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance(MoCIG) – UNICEF Iran photo contest for his photo story, "Children with no identity," which portrays the struggles faced by undocumented Afghan refugee children in accessing vital services like education and healthcare.  Moreover, Heidari's work showcases the commendable efforts undertaken in recent years to address the plight of undocumented Afghan refugee children, striving to provide them with the support and services they urgently need.

Two other photo essays by Iranian photojournalists were selected as second and third-place winners of this photo contest titled “Refugee children, Iranian hospitality”, launched in 2022.

The photo contest, which is a part of the joint cooperation between the Department of Press and Information of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and UNICEF, aimed at promoting the ethical representation of children in photojournalism and highlighting the power of storytelling via photography to advocate for children’s issues.

The jury, composed of experts from the Department of Press and Information and UNICEF Iran, reviewed several submissions on the theme from the different parts of the country and awarded the top three places to the following photojournalists:

1. Abdollah Heidari, for his photo essay “Children with no identity”. Winner of a professional photography camera, certificate of appreciation and trophy.
2. Erfan Kouchari, for his photo essay “A good life”, which beautifully captures the endeavours of volunteers in providing essential services such as healthcare, education, food, and clothing to refugees residing in less-developed provinces. Winner of a smartphone and certificate of appreciation.
3. Sahand Taki, for his photo essay “A School for refugee child labourers”, which illustrates refugee children who were engaged in child labour, receiving education at classes conducted by a local NGO. Winner of a smartphone and certificate of appreciation.

All photo essays are published on UNICEF Iran’s website.

The award ceremony took place on June 20th, World Refugee Day, with the participation of representatives from UNICEF and the Department of Press and Information at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

In addition to this contest, UNICEF and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance organised the second news story/reporting competitions for Iranian journalists with the same theme. (see here)