The closing ceremony of the UNESCO Aras Global Geopark Photography Contest was held by the Aras Global Geopark and in collaboration with the Aras Film and Photo Association, and the winners of this artistic event were introduced and honored.

The head of the Aras Global Geopark Administration, referring to the impressive reception of the artists for this event, said at the ceremony: More than 40 professional photographers participated in this event and more than 850 photos were sent to the competition secretariat.

Meysam Najafzadeh stated that this volume of works covers a unique diversity of geosites, wildlife, architecture, and lifestyles of the people of the Aras region, adding: This collection of works will be a valuable treasure for producing promotional and scientific content for the Geopark in the coming years.

He clarified: The judging of these works was carried out by prominent masters, and we tried to prioritize creative and documentary perspectives that contribute to the visual identity of the Geopark.

At the end of this ceremony, and based on the votes of the jury, the top winners in the two main categories of "Professional" and "Mobile" were introduced and honored.

At this ceremony, Alireza Amrikazemi, Senior Advisor to Aras Geopark, also stated: "The language of images is an international language that does not require translation and can convey the most complex geological concepts and heritage values ​​of a region to a global audience and UNESCO evaluators in the fastest possible way." Emphasizing the direct impact of these events on the "Periodic Evaluation of Aras Global Geopark," he added: "One of UNESCO's important indicators for renewing the green card of geoparks is the level of involvement and participation of the local community and artists in introducing and interpreting phenomena; therefore, the rich archive resulting from this competition can play a significant role in proving the dynamism and continuous activity of Aras Geopark in international forums."