UNICEF Photo Competition Winners Announced
The United Nations Children's Fund has revealed the winners of its 2025 Photo of the Year contest, with top honors going to an image capturing a young Afghan girl's dedication to learning.
French photojournalist Elise Blanchard received first prize for her photograph taken in a rural area near Kabul. The image shows a 10-year-old girl named Hajira intently studying her schoolbook, symbolizing the determination of Afghan girls facing educational restrictions.
Elke Büdenbender, UNICEF patron and wife of Germany's president, remarked that for numerous girls in Afghanistan, childhood involves struggling for what should be fundamental: the opportunity to receive an education.
UNICEF officials noted the photograph represents the persistent strength of millions of Afghan girls who are barred from secondary schooling under current governance.
Additional Award Recipients
Second prize was awarded to Natalya Saprunova, a photographer of Russian origin residing in France, for her work in Mongolia documenting children affected by severe air pollution. Her image portrays young children resting in a kindergarten near an air purification device intended to lessen harmful pollutants.
The third-place winner is Indian photographer Sourav Das, recognized for his ongoing documentation of children enduring difficult circumstances. His entry focuses on childhood in Jharia, known as India's "burning city" due to persistent underground fires at coal mining sites that create substantial environmental issues.
