About the Awards
International Handicrafts Photo Awards
The International Handicrafts Photo Awards is an international photography competition organized to document, promote, and preserve the rich diversity of handicrafts through the universal language of photography.
Handicrafts play an essential role in preserving cultural heritage, traditional craftsmanship, vocational skills, sustainable production, local economies, and community identity. Photography is the most powerful medium for recording not only handcrafted works but also the knowledge, patience, and stories behind them. Building on ESDER's extensive experience in organizing successful national and international photography competitions, this project aims to create one of the world's most comprehensive photographic archives dedicated to handicrafts, preserving this cultural heritage for future generations.
The top three photographs will receive cash prizes. In addition, 106 Exhibition Awards will be presented. These selected photographs will be showcased in an international digital exhibition and published in a professionally printed photo catalogue. The catalogue will be distributed to public institutions, universities, museums, cultural organizations, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders, providing international visibility for both the photographers and the handicrafts they document. Participants will also gain international recognition by becoming part of a permanent cultural archive.
The international exhibition and awards ceremony will be held during the Gala Event in Ankara, Türkiye, in October 2026, bringing together photographers, artists, academics, and cultural institutions to celebrate the world's rich handicraft heritage.
About the Project
International Handicrafts Project
The International Handicrafts Project, officially titled "Learning a Profession Through Handicrafts," is an international cooperation initiative supported by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme. Coordinated by ESDER (Tradesmen and Artisans Association of Türkiye) in partnership with MÜSİAD Nederland and the Bridge Association for Culture, Art and Education (North Macedonia), the project aims to preserve handicrafts, promote cultural heritage, support vocational education, strengthen international cooperation, and increase the global visibility of traditional craftsmanship.
Traditional Handicrafts Workshop – Netherlands
The first international activity was successfully completed in Amsterdam, where participants joined traditional handicrafts workshops led by local artisans. The programme promoted practical learning, cultural exchange, and professional photo and video documentation, which also contributed to the project's documentary.
Recycling Handicrafts Workshop – North Macedonia
The second international activity was held in Skopje, focusing on recycling and sustainable handicrafts. Participants created artistic works from recycled materials while exploring environmentally responsible production methods, enriching the project's visual archive.
International Handicrafts Photo Awards
The international promotion campaign for the International Handicrafts Photo Awards has officially begun. The competition aims to document handicrafts through photography and create a unique international photographic archive. Award-winning and selected photographs will be presented in a digital exhibition and a professionally printed catalogue.
Handicrafts Documentary & Gala Event
An international documentary is being produced in the Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Türkiye, highlighting artisans, traditional craftsmanship, and the cultural value of handicrafts. The project will conclude with an international Gala Event in Ankara, Türkiye, in October 2026, featuring the documentary premiere, the awards ceremony, and the opening of the international photography exhibition.
The latest project news, activity results, photographs, and updates are available on the project's official website and social media channels.
References
Vanishing Crafts Photography Competition
This post features selected award-winning and exhibition photographs from the competition. Held in 2013, the competition received 1,057 photographs submitted by 335 participants. The competition was organized to document the Ahilik tradition and vanishing crafts through the art of photography. The award-winning and selected works were brought together in a photography catalogue, contributing to the preservation and transmission of this cultural heritage to future generations.
International Traditional Sports Photography Competition
This post features selected award-winning and exhibition photographs from the competition. Held in 2024, the competition received 1,416 photographs submitted by 231 participants. A total of €7,000 in prize money was awarded to 28 photographers. The winning and selected works were showcased through both physical and digital exhibitions.
Living Waqf Heritage Photography Competition
This post features selected award-winning and exhibition photographs from the competition. Held in 2023, the competition received 752 photographs submitted by 188 participants. The award-winning and selected works were presented to the public during the award ceremony and exhibition held at the historic Hüsrev Kethüda Hammam.
Photo Catalogs
We immortalize our photography competitions, organized to carry our cultural heritage into the future and to support art, with our prestige catalogs that hold artistic archive value. Following our 3 successfully completed competitions, we continue our preparations for our new competition with the same high production standards. Within this scope, our special catalogs, printed in a limited run of only 1,000 copies for each competition, are produced in a large 33x30 cm format, featuring 120 pages on 170 gsm matte coated paper. This archive series carries a true collector's value with its spot UV (local varnish) application that highlights the aesthetics of the photographs, its hardcover wrapped in linen book cloth, its durable thread-sewn binding, and its protective dust jacket, standing as the most tangible indicator of the value we place on art.
You can access and download the photo catalogs for free from ESDER's website.
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