Anadolu Agency Photographer Wins International Prize

Anadolu Agency photographer Elif Ozturk Ozgoncu gets a jury honorable mention prize at the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest on Wednesday.

Ozgoncu entered the contest with a series of photos of "Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival", telling a story of the Turkish traditional oil-wrestling competition, held annually in Turkey's northwestern Edirne province since 1362 as one of the world's oldest sports events -- ranking second after the Olympics and considered as "ancestor sports" by Turks.

Oil wrestlers, or pehlivans, wear leather pants- kispet, rub olive oil on their bodies and tackle each other on grass fields to be the last man standing, which will earn them the title of Chief Wrestler ("Baspehlivan") and the right to wear the prestigious golden belt for a year.

Ozgoncu -- born in Rize, Turkey -- started her career at Anadolu Agency in 2014. She covered major events, including FETO's coup attempt in 2016. Her photo, covering an event in memory of the coup victims, won Anadolu Agency's Photo of the Year award. She is also a winner of the 2019 World Press Photo award in the "sports" category. -