TEHRAN – The executive director of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest has expressed his appreciation to the Mehr Media Group for their cooperation and support in organizing and covering the exhibition of the contest’s winning entries in Tehran.

In a message to the Mehr Media Group, Alexander Shtol has commended the organization for its partnership in hosting and covering the exhibition of winning works of the contest’s 11th edition in Tehran.

In the message, he praised the professionalism and contribution of the group in strengthening the dialogue between Iran and Russia, Mehr reported.

He has also thanked the Mehr News Agency for its support in holding and covering the exhibition, adding that this collaboration has provided an opportunity for young, talented photographers and photography enthusiasts in Iran and the region to become familiar with this international competition.

Furthermore, he emphasized the readiness of the Rossiya Segodnya media group to expand cooperation with the Mehr Media Group on various projects, stating that the organization welcomes and supports initiatives by the Mehr News Agency in Russia.

The exhibition of the winners and selected works from the 11th edition of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest was held from September 14 to September 22 at the House of Photographers Gallery of the Art Bureau in Tehran, in collaboration with the Mehr Media Group and the Iranian House of Photographers.

The 11th edition of the contest was held in 2025, featuring entries from young photographers from 40 countries. 

The exhibition in Tehran features 30 photographs made by young reporters from Russia, Indonesia, China, Egypt, Brazil, Bahrain, and other countries. The works at the exhibition comprised a collection of visual narratives by young photographers regarding contemporary global events and issues; images that, in the form of photojournalism and documentary photography, captured social and human developments, crises, the environment, daily life, and other realities of today’s world.

The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest is an annual event in the field of photojournalism, held with the aim of discovering young talent, supporting professional standards in photojournalism, and promoting the benchmarks of documentary photography in Russia and worldwide.

Andrey Stenin (1980 - 2014) started his career as a text reporting journalist for Rossiyskaya Gazeta in 2003. In 2008, he turned to photojournalism and, from 2009 on, worked as a photo reporter for RIA Novosti. He was an experienced military photojournalist who had worked in Egypt, Syria, Libya, the Gaza Strip, and elsewhere.

He disappeared while covering the War in Donbas. He was confirmed dead on September 3, 2014, having died on August 6, according to the Investigative Committee of Russia. Stenin was awarded Russia's Order of Courage posthumously.

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