2021 Stenin Contest Grand Prix Shared by Reporters From Russia and Turkey

"Photography is the most sincere, conservative art form of our time. To photograph war or civil conflict, you need to get close to the protagonist. This is how Andrei Stenin found himself in almost every hotspot in the world".

"For me, taking part in the Stenin Contest means an opportunity to draw the attention of the public to the social theme in my research and share my vision; it means an opportunity for dialogue. Every year I send my works to this contest with the professional international jury because it is an excellent platform for speech, notable financial support for young photographers and a high-quality approach to exhibiting the winners".

"It was my goal to express my opinion and point out the problem. For many years I have been working on marine pollution with plastic waste and microplastics. Even before the pandemic, we could not cope with the huge volume of plastic in our ecosystem, and it has only existed for 60 or 70 years. The photo was taken in the Bosphorus. I was going to look for trash during the dive. But there was no need to look for: it was everywhere".

"For many reasons, 2020 was a really unique year in history. Most photographers couldn’t travel and therefore were unable to complete or even begin their projects and assignments. So my expectations were lower than usual. Nevertheless, the very first photographs charged me with enthusiasm. Storytelling will always be relevant. It can change and develop, but it will never die. Every generation has something to say. Photography is a universal language of our time that requires no translation". Ruth also noted that "the chosen works do not just review global events. They are a photo journey, a visual puzzle paying tribute to photographers and their point of view".