Anadolu Agency on Tuesday announced the winners of Photos of the Year awards in voting that marks the essential events of 2018.

A total of 223,000 people voted in news, life and sports categories to select the winners among 49 images selected from over 700,000 photographs shot in different parts of the world.

Photos are selected across three categories from Anadolu Agency photojournalists or correspondents who have had an impact on the Turkish and world agendas.

In the news category, Ozkan Bilgin’s “Mehmetcik’s First Iftar,” which features Turkish soldiers holding the first fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, won the voting.

Ilhami Cetin’s “Grandpa Ali and his cat”, which features 83-year-old Ali Mese clutching onto his kitten after a fire burned down their house in western Turkey, is the winner of the life category.

Burak Akbulut’s “Sultans of Karate”, which shows Rabia Kusmus and Dilara Eltemur of Turkey competing against Russian team during bronze medal competition at the 24th World Karate Championships in Madrid, Spain, won the sports category.

Anadolu Agency's Photos of the Year was first held in 2012.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Parliamentary Spokesman Binali Yildirim, ministers, officials and sportsmen also participated and voted to Sultans of Karate in the sports category. 

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey © Anadolu Agency

Devlet Bahçeli, Chairman of The Nationalist Movement Party © Anadolu Agency

Binali Yıldırım, Parliamentary Spokesman © Anadolu Agency