"The story of my heroine is a story of fortitude, courage, and faith in our abilities. I wanted to show that, even in the most difficult moments of our lives, we shouldn’t despair. It can be hard to accept ourselves as we are. My story is about a woman who has overcome stereotypes. It tells how you can cope with the disaster and be happy at the same time," Di Meo said.
The display at FotoIstanbul-2016 is part of an exhibition tour of Andrei Stenin Photo Contest winners across Russia and beyond, which started in late August at the Museum of Moscow. The photographs left Moscow and have so far been showcased at the 2016 All of Russia journalism festival in Sochi and the Maribor Festival of Photography (Slovenia). The next in line is Krasnodar, where the winning works will be displayed at the 8th PhotoVisa International Festival of Photography.
The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest aims to promote young photographers and attract public attention to photojournalism and its mission. It is Russia’s only platform to discover new photojournalists and develop high standards for documentary photography in Russia and the world. In 2016, about 6,000 entries by young photojournalists from 71 countries, including Russia, have been submitted.
The contest covers five continents, stretching from Europe and North and South America to Africa, Australia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Russian participants are drawn from all corners of the country – from Kaliningrad, Moscow and St. Petersburg to Vladivostok and Yalta.
The 2016 contest is supported by major Russian and international media outlets, news agencies and photo societies. Its general information sponsors are: The Rossiya K TV Channel (Russia Culture), KP.ru, the news and information portal jourdom.ru portal and the Russian Photo portal. The contest's international information partners are: the Askanews news agency, EFE news agency, EBC, Fotoistanbul festival, Notimex news agency, RT TV network and portal, The Royal Photographic Society, Shanghai United Media Group (SUMG), Xinhua news agency, Independent Media, ANTARA Foto press photo agency. The contest's professional information partners are: the Academy of Photography, the agency Geophoto.ru, the photography educational website photo-study.ru, the Moscow Union of Journalists, School of Visual Arts, PhotoUnion.ru, the Union of Student and Youth Media, the portal Young Journalists and the Uglich Photo Parade festival.
