BADEN.- 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”.
Mahdi Vaghari » from Iran for "No one can take my Soul”
Peace Image of the Year 2025
The main prize, the "Peace Image of the Year 2025”, worth 7,000 euros, went to the Iranian photographic artist Mahdi Vaghari for his image "No one can take my Soul”
No veiling, no hiding. No modesty, no sadness. Rather, pride in what a woman is not supposed to show, lest she provoke the men. A gust of wind has whipped the magnificent hair of this young Iranian woman into a wild crown. She is walking across a bridge, whilst a flock of birds flies over the nearby beach. Freedom on two levels.
An image of great power that actually – unlike so many photos – manages entirely without words. The mere fact that it was taken in Iran gives it, once again, a special significance. It was taken by a man who is not yet well known in our part of the world: Mahdi Vaghari, born in Iran in 1995, who began taking an interest in photography in 2003 and was taught by his father.
"I want to capture authentic emotions,” says Mahdi. And he does so in the hope of drawing attention to everything that could make the world a more beautiful place. And a more peaceful one. "Nobody,” he captioned his photo, as if the woman were speaking for herself, "can own my soul.”
This is how jury member Peter-Matthias Gaede summed up the merits of Mahdi Vaghari’s work in his laudatory speech.
Mahdi Vaghari was also honoured in the ‘Best Single Image’ category. The prize money of €1,000 was provided by the Austrian Photographische Gesellschaft (Photographic Society, PHG), the second-oldest photographic society in the world.
Noa Hagemann » from Germany for "My Sister”
The Children’s Peace Image of the Year 2025
The prize for the best peace image in the children’s and youth category, "The Children’s Peace Image of the Year 2025”, worth 1,000 euros, was won by 8-year-old Noa Hagemann from Germany with his image "My Sister”.
It was taken in a zoo, and Lani, Noa’s five-year-old sister, stood like a little fairy-tale figure amongst the trees, gently enveloped in wisps of mist. Noa, who had just turned eight, photographed her spontaneously. This is worth noting, as it is not uncommon for the boy to position and direct his sister for a picture.
What does peace mean to Noa? "That everyone is happy,” he says, "that no one is arguing and there is no war in the world.”
The two main prizes were presented by Hartwig Löger, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Vienna Insurance Group (VIG), which has supported the Global Peace Photo Award as its main sponsor for many years: "Peace is of the utmost importance. As individuals and as a company, we depend on a stable and peaceful environment to thrive. That is why the Vienna Insurance Group, which operates as an international insurance group in around 30 countries, has supported the Global Peace Photo Award from the very beginning. We have been promoting the children’s peace photo since its inception, and since 2022 we have also been the main sponsor of the entire award.”
Lois Lammerhuber, who initiated the Global Peace Photo Award together with his wife Silvia Lammerhuber and has organised it since the very beginning, reminded us that "peace is not the absence of war, but something I would describe as a ‘life well lived’. With all their creative and artistic passion, the photographers compose an ode to respect for the fragility of our world. They invoke the relationships between people and nature as a mission for a responsible life. With their talents, their vision and their perspectives, they depict the social and ecological challenges that must no longer be ignored. They captivate the eye with photographs that take root in the heart the moment they are seen, and encourage us to resist indifference and the prevailing populism. An appeal to the world that is firmly inscribed in the heart of our award.”
Werner Blach, Executive Director of UNICEF Austria, emphasised in his speech: "Although conflicts around the globe differ in cause and course, they share a common, harrowing reality: it is always the children who pay the highest price. Children who bear no blame whatsoever! They must be protected and urgently need peace! Children have rights – not someday, not perhaps – but always.”
