The International Photography Awards (IPA) has announced Abdelrahman Alkahlout as the 2025 Photographer of the Year and Marie Sueur as the Discovery of the Year. The top honours were revealed on October 5 at the prestigious Lucie Awards Gala, held at the Benaki Museum in Athens.
Alkahlout received the top award for his harrowing and deeply human series, “Echoes of Genocide: Gaza’s Civilian Suffering.” His work captures the immense destruction and loss that have marked the region since October 2023. Through his lens, Alkahlout presents a powerful visual narrative of endurance and humanity’s will to survive amid unimaginable darkness, compelling viewers to witness and remember the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.
Sueur was recognised with the Discovery of the Year award for her introspective and poetic series, “Murmures de l’âme.” Her work shifts focus from external reality to the unseen, exploring the spaces of the unconscious and the language of symbols and dreams. The series is described as a poignant exploration of ambiguity, using photography to touch the soul and reveal what lies beyond rational comprehension.
Hannah Lillethun, IPA program director, praised the winners, stating that their images “remind me of the power of photography to both bear witness and touch the soul.” She added that Alkahlout and Sueur were “incredibly deserving of their awards” among the many inspiring works celebrated at the gala.
The awards were presented during the 22nd annual IPA competition, which selects winners from a pool of 22 outstanding category finalists across both professional and non-professional divisions. Together, the honoured photographers represent the extraordinary breadth of talent within the global photography community, celebrating those who use their art to illuminate and redefine our world.
See more at www.photoawards.com
