Morteza Akhondi, a photographer from Hormozgan Province, secured first place in the international competition with the powerful and compositionally striking image, which captivated the global jury.

In the final rankings, Akhondi from Iran took the gold, followed by Bartosz Matenko of Poland in second place and Mohammad Mohtaseb of Saudi Arabia in third

The achievement highlights the growing presence and high potential of Iranian visual artists on the international stage.

The US-Israeli coalition bombed Minab’s Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school on February 28, the opening day of the aggression against Iran.

The school was triple-tapped by three distinct strikes using Tomahawk missiles, produced by Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona.

The roof of the two-story building, decorated with pink flowers and green leaves, collapsed onto students inside.

At least 168 people were killed, including 26 female teachers, with over 95 injured. Many victims were girls and boys between seven and twelve years old.