TEHRAN - Each year, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) celebrates photographic excellence from around the world through its International Photography Competition. The winning works are featured in an exhibition underway at the museum, with three photos by Iranian artists Majid Hojati and Armin Amirian among them.

 Selected from 2,537 photographs submitted by 579 photographers from 55 countries, the works are on display at the exhibition that opened on July 8 and will run until September 7, Khabaronline reported.

Juried by an international panel of curators, educators, and photography professionals, the exhibition reflects FMoPA’s ongoing commitment to showcasing global photographic perspectives and fostering dialogue through the medium.
 On display are two works by Majid Hojati, which have won first place in the People/Portraits and Places/Landscape sections.

Hojati’s winning photo in the People/Portraits section is “Pray Eid al-Fitr”. It shows the Grand Mosque in Hamedan City. While Muslim women pray Eid al-Fitr facing the Qibla (towards the House of God) in the city’s mosque, a playful little boy, dressed in stylish new clothes, plays behind his mother.

His winning work in the Places/Landscape section is “The Flow of Life,” showing Khaju Bridge in Isfahan City. People sit on the steps of the 400-year-old Khaju Bridge, in the historic city of Isfahan, enjoying themselves by the Zayandeh Rood River, which has flowed again after months of drought.

Majid Hojati is based in Tehran and began his artistic activities in 1999, when he entered the Isfahan Fine Arts Academy. He received his master’s degree in photography and is pursuing personal projects in the field of photography independently. He has received more than 300 awards from various photography festivals and has participated in many international exhibitions.

In the Conceptual section, Armin Amirian has also won first place for his photo titled “Rebel-01”.

Iran is a rich depository of contributions in the fields of art, architecture, music, literature, and cinema. The city of Isfahan, in particular, with its opulent architectural structures, is the birthplace of many prominent Iranian artists and figures. It is also the home of Armin Amirian, a 20-year-old photographer and artist who, inspired by the work of many before him, has chosen to create dynamic interpretations of the collective experiences of his people.

The 2025 edition of the FMoPA International Photography Competition exhibition brings together award-winning work from a diverse group of emerging and established photographers whose images push the boundaries of visual storytelling, technique, and cultural commentary.

The selected photographs represent a wide range of genres, including portraiture, conceptual photography, landscape, documentary, and still life. These works speak to the power of photography as a global language—at once intimate and expansive, reflective and provocative. 

Whether capturing fleeting moments or constructing elaborate visual metaphors, the artists in this exhibition explore themes of identity, conflict, environment, memory, and the passage of time.

Photo: “The Flow of Life” by Majid Hojati

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