Kurdish Female Photographer Nominated For Middle East–Level Photography Award
Kurdish photographer Shayna Mahmoudzada has been nominated for an award after being selected by Britain’s NO.35gallery for the “Echoes of Humanity” exhibition honoring Middle Eastern women artists.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - From a quiet visual language shaped by inner tension and human vulnerability, a Kurdish photographer from Erbil has reached a regional stage, as her work is selected by a prominent British gallery for an award honoring Middle Eastern women artists.
Kurdish photographer Shayna Mahmoudzada has been nominated to receive a photography award after being selected by Britain’s renowned NO.35gallery for the exhibition titled “Echoes of Humanity.” The selection places her among a group of female photographers representing the Middle East at a regional artistic level.
On Friday, Mahmoudzada told Kurdistan24 that she was chosen following the submission of her photographic works to the gallery in Britain. She explained that after reviewing submissions from several Middle Eastern female photographers, the gallery shortlisted a number of candidates and ultimately selected her to receive the award.
“After I submitted my work, they liked it, and among several Middle Eastern female photographers, they selected a few candidates. Fortunately, I was chosen to receive this award,” she said.
Mahmoudzada noted that several of her photographic works contributed to her selection, as they focus on expressing an inner and psychological human condition. She explained that the works address psychological distress and moments in which individuals experience deeper isolation and withdrawal. She added that her selected work was specifically curated by the gallery, which chose it and included it in the exhibition.
She further stated that she was officially informed by Gallery No. 35 that she had been selected as one of the recipients of the Emerging Talent Award for “Echoes of Humanity.” She explained that her 2025 photographic series stood out for its raw emotional clarity and its powerful depiction of inner confinement, loneliness, and internal pressure.
Through a limited composition and the repeated presence of the body within a restricted, minimalistic studio space, Mahmoudzada said her work conveys an experience of confinement and suffocation that deeply resonates with the exhibition’s exploration of the human condition.
“My practice demonstrates strong conceptual awareness and the ability to translate personal and social tension into a compelling visual language,” she said. “The Emerging Talent Award recognizes this ability and acknowledges my evolving artistic voice and the seriousness with which I engage themes of memory, alienation, and lived experience.”
Mahmoudzada also spoke about the awards associated with her selection, stating that as a recipient of the Emerging Talent Award she will receive an official award certificate, participation in the group exhibition “Echoes of Humanity,” a dedicated profile on the NO.35gallery website, and promotional support across the gallery’s digital platforms and social media channels.
The Kurdish photographer resides in Erbil and is a graduate of the Erbil Institute of Fine Arts as well as the Koya Institute of Fine Arts. She has produced numerous photographic works across different styles and themes and has participated in several exhibitions, with her photography receiving positive recognition.
With her work rooted in personal experience and human psychology, Shayna Mahmoudzada’s nomination marks a significant moment for Kurdish visual art on a Middle Eastern platform shaped by contemporary expression.