Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies awards Anadolu with best photograph award
DJERBA, Tunisia
Anadolu’s photojournalist Aytug Can Sencar has received the best photograph award from the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN).
The 31st General Assembly meeting of AMAN was hosted by Tunisia’s official TAP news agency. The event brought together prominent journalists and media professionals from the Mediterranean region to celebrate their outstanding achievements in the field.
During the ceremony, Sencar from Anadolu was presented with the best photo of the year award for his picture of the devastating earthquake in Hatay.
The gripping image captured the raw emotions and destruction caused by the natural disaster.
Expressing his gratitude, Sencar said: “Türkiye has faced numerous natural disasters over the years, and I have had the opportunity to witness and document the challenges faced by our country. It is an honor to receive this award and be recognized by the esteemed AMAN.”
Describing the story behind the award-winning photograph, he recounted the harrowing experience following the earthquake. “On the first day of the earthquake, rain poured down while collapsed structures littered the landscape. The profound sense of despair among the people, juxtaposed with their unwavering search for hope, left an indescribable impression on me.
“As 26 hours had passed since the earthquake, the sun began to rise, casting its light on individuals scouring through the debris in pursuit of hope. In the midst of covering the tireless efforts of search and rescue teams at a devastated site, I witnessed a pivotal moment. After painstaking work, a baby was freed, eliciting a chorus of hopeful applause. Subsequently, the child’s mother was rescued as well. Tears of sorrow transformed into tears of joy. That infant, emerging from the wreckage, symbolized not only hope for Türkiye but also for the entire world,” he said.
In addition to Sencar’s achievement, TAP reporter Ahmed Gadeb was also acknowledged and honored with the best news of the year award.
Speaking about the importance of the group’s general assembly on the Tunisian island of Djerba, Anadolu’s Project Management Coordinator Oguz Karakas emphasized the importance of enhancing AMAN’s global media influence.
As a representative of Anadolu, Karakas highlighted the importance of the news agency’s extensive experience and initiatives taken in various matters. The members of AMAN expressed their appreciation for Anadolu’valuable contributions to the association.
AMAN shared our pain by declaring our photojournalist worthy of this award, he said.
During the meeting, which commenced with the transfer of AMAN’s one-year presidency from the Croatian News Agency to TAP, Slovenia’s state-run news agency STA was unanimously accepted as the 21st member of AMAN.
AMAN was established in Tunisia in 1991 and includes Turkish, Libyan, Algerian, Egyptian, Syrian, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lebanese, Tunisian, Palestinian, Greek, Southern Cyprus, Albanian, Serbian, Croatian, Mauritanian, and Moroccan news agencies.
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