Iranian artist Mahdi Vaghari honored at Global Peace Photo Awards

From 24,189 entries from 132 countries, the jury of the Global Peace Photo Award selected the work "No one can take my Soul” by Iranian photographic artist Mahdi Vaghari as the Peace Image of the Year 2025. On 30 March 2026 the winners of the international Global Peace Photo Award photography competition were presented with the Alfred Fried Peace Medal for the thirteenth time. In his welcoming address, Omar Al-Rawi, who attended on behalf of the Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, emphasised how important it is to provide a forum for peace in these times. Only through dialogue will we succeed in overcoming the current wars. Only liberal democracies, which are able to respond clearly to differing viewpoints without marginalising them, can provide the framework for this. The Global Peace Photo Award honours photographers who have used their lens to "put their finger on the wound”. The main prize, the "Peace Image of the Year 2025”, worth 7,000 euros, went to the Iranian photo