After a three-year hiatus, the “Marai Photo Award” becomes the “Marai Photo Grant” in 2025. The award is organised by Agence France-Presse in honour of Shah Marai, former photo chief at AFP in Kabul. Shah Marai, who was an inspiration for Afghan photographers throughout his career, was killed in the line of duty at the age of 41 in a suicide attack on April 30, 2018 in Kabul.

The 44-year-old photojournalist was honoured for his work in Gaza, where, despite danger and fear of being targeted, he has worked tirelessly to document the first months of the war triggered by Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October.