The contest was organized by Rossiya Segodnya under the auspices of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO.
In March young photographers from Vietnam, Denmark, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Canada, Peru, Ukraine, the Republic of Korea, Algiers, Israel and Zimbabwe have submitted their work.
Russian participants represent the entire country: from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Vladivostok and Nakhodka. Photo submissions are ongoing at the contest website stenincontest.com and will run until April 15, 2015. The award ceremony will take place in Moscow on June 3, 2015.
The project, initiated by Rossiya Segodnya, is aimed at promoting photography, raising awareness about the purpose and challenges of photojournalism, and supporting young photographers. It will introduce members of the world photography community to new names, support high standards in photojournalism, and help establish quality criteria for documentary photography in Russia and abroad.
Young photographers between the ages of 18 and 33 are eligible to take part in the competition, which will support them to establish professional credentials and widen their professional network. The contest’s four categories include Top News, Current Issues, Sports and Everyday Life.
Three prizes for first, second and third places will be awarded in each category, plus a special Grand Prix prize. The 500,000 ruble (about $8,562 according to the exchange rate on the day of publication) Grand Prix will be awarded to the journalist with the most professional, interesting and impressive photos as chosen by the jury. The prize for first place will be 50,000 rubles (about $856 according to the exchange rate on the day of publication), for second 35,000 rubles (about $600 according to the exchange rate on the day of publication) and 25,000 rubles (about $428 according to the exchange rate on the day of publication) for third place.
The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest is being supported by the Xinhua News Agency, the Royal Photographic Society, the Indonesian Press Photo Agency Antara Foto, RT, RBTH (Russia Beyond the Headlines), The Moscow International Centre for Journalism (MICJ), Tutto Digitale Magazine, the Academy of Photography, Vesti.ru online newspaper, Foto&Video magazine, Geophoto.ru agency jourdom.ru portal, Fototehnika portal, Russian Photo, the Moscow Union of Journalists, photo-study.ru photography education web site, Russian Photo portal, School of Visual Arts, YOJO.ru web platform for young journalists and Foto.ru club.