Won the award from among 148 final contestants, Saeedi was honored during a ceremony held at Hotel de Ville in Paris where the Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe also attended.
Saeedi is an award winning and internationally recognized Iranian photographer who has photographed Middle East with a focus on the humanitarian aspect for the past two decades.
Saeedi also takes a special interest in telling the untold stories of social issues and social injustice through his photos.
Saeedi has won numerous prominent photography awards from around the world. For the past eight years, Saeedi has received the title of best photographer of Iran.
His work has been published in international press such as Times, Spiegel, Life, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Time Magazine and various Middle Eastern publications and online agencies.
Saeedi has won a lot of prizes amongst the recent ones are the prestigious UNICEF award 2010, Henri Nannen Award 2010, the China International Press Photo Contest (CHIPP) 2010, Photographer of the Year 2012 R.F. Kennedy, International Photographer of the Year (Lucie ) in New York 2011, World press photo (WPP) 2013, National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) 2013.
Saeedi is the first non-European photographer who has received Lucas Dolega Award which was titled after a French/German photojournalist with the same name.
Dolega started work as a photographer for European Pressphoto Agency in April 2006. He was reportedly killed by Tunisian police while photographing a protest in Tunis.
The participants of Dolega Award are required to center on any event relevant to the defense of freedoms and democracy, a conflict (civil or military wars, riots, attacks or public demonstrations), a revolution, a natural or sanitary disaster, and/or their consequences on civil populations.
Press TV
MNA
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