Kowsari will be accompanied by three other photographers including Tanzim Wahab (Bangladesh), and Lam Yik Fei (Hong Kong), and Tasneem Alsultan(Saudi Arabian). An anonymous photographer will also join the jury, Isna reported.

He is currently working as a senior photo editor for Shargh, a Persian daily based in Tehran. He has also worked for the Aftab Network Magazine. His works have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions in Iran and abroad.

Kowsari began his career in 1994 as a photojournalist for the Tehran Times, Iran’s leading English daily. He has worked for numerous Iranian newspapers. His photographs have been published in many newspapers and magazines, including Paris Match, Der Spiegel, Colors Magazine from Benetton Group, Time and The New York Times.  

In Kowsari’s carefully observed and composed photographs, scenes of life in Iran are given a theatrical, almost epic presence. 

In 2009, he was shortlisted for the Prix Pictet for “Shade of Earth”, his 2007 series that depicts visitors to the former frontlines of the Iran-Iraq war. He was also a finalist in 2009 for the series in the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, London.

The annual press photography contest is organized by the World Press Photo Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Winning works will be showcased in the contest’s annual traveling exhibition around the world in over 80 cities.

The works will also be published on the contest’s website and social platforms with over 2 million followers.

The organizers will also award €1,000 for each of the 24 regional winners and an additional €5,000 for the four global winners.

Regional winners will be announced on March 24, 2022, while global winners will be announced on April 7. The flagship World Press Photo Exhibition will open in Amsterdam on April 16.