The jury of the third Istanbul Photo Awards 2017, an international news and sports photography contest organized by Anadolu Agency, will boast world-renowned editors, publishers, and photojournalists. Among the world-famous jury members are the digital editor of the French newsweekly Paris Match, Marion Mertens; NOOR agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev; Getty Images Australian photographer Cameron Spencer; Istanbul Photo Awards 2016 winner Sergey Ponomarev, who also won a Pulitzer Prize for images of refugees arriving at a Greek island; Anadolu Agency visual news editor Ahmet Sel; and Anadolu Agency photography editor Firat Yurdakul.Applications for the Istanbul Photo Awards 2017 are open until Jan. 31.Seasoned Paris Match Editor Mertens After working as Paris Match's deputy editor for 15 years, Marion Mertens became its digital editor and directs the magazine's Internet, tablet and mobile formats. Before joining Paris Match in 1998, Mertens worked at Le Figaro, l'Express, and VSD.Getty photojournalist, sports expert Successful Getty Images photojournalist Cameron Spencer is also serving on the Istanbul Photo Awards 2017 jury. Since 2004, Spencer has worked professionally on sports and portrait photography. The famous photographer's comments will be important for the Istanbul Photo Awards' sport-single and sport-multiple categories.From Istanbul Photo Awards 2016 to a Pulitzer Sergey Ponomarev, who took first prize in the Istanbul Photo Awards 2016 single-news category for his photo "Refugees" and got the Pulitzer Prize for the same photo, is also on the Istanbul Photo Awards 2017 jury. Ponomarev worked for the Associated Press from 2003 to 2012 and continued his career at the New York Times. He won third place in the World Press Photo awards in the General News category for his photos showing the tragedy in Gaza.Ponomarev rose to prominence for his photos depicting culture and daily life in Russia. He has won multiple awards, both nationally and internationally.Other members of the 2017 jury include: Liza Factor, a curator who is famous for her multimedia works; AFP Photograph Distribution and Business Development Director Michel Scotto; Shanghai Photograph Center Director and Pulitzer-winning photojournalist Liu Heung Shing; photojournalist and visual media consultant Georges De Keerle; Anadolu Agency video news editor-in-chief Ahmet Sel; and Anadolu Agency photography editor Firat Yurdakul.Anadolu Agency's video news editor-in-chief Ahmet Sel noted that the Istanbul Photo Awards has once again assembled a prestigious jury."Yuri Kozirev, Sergey Ponamarev, and Cameron Spencer, photojournalists who shot the best news and sports photos in years past, and France's biggest newsmagazine Paris Match's Digital Editor Marion Mertens, who are all on the Istanbul Photo Awards contest jury," he said. "Mertens, one of the leading actors of news photography in France, is a top official at Paris Match, which sets the international news photography agenda," Sel added. "Experienced editor Mertens has made Paris Match digital a website followed by millions of readers from around the world. Paris Match digital is well known for being uncompromising in photojournalism, and boasts a website that photographers follow in the hope of being published."