Turkish photographer Cem Dogut wins NATO’s best aviation photo award for 2024
Turkish Air Force's F-4 Phantoms durin 50th anniversary flight of it. (Cem Dogut's Photo)
Turkish aviation photographer and researcher Cem Dogut has won NATO’s prestigious Best Aviation Photo of 2024 award with his striking image of a Turkish Air Force F-4 Phantom flying over a lake during the aircraft’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Second consecutive win for Cem Dogut
The annual competition, held by NATO’s Air Command, showcases the year’s most captivating warplane photographs. For the second year in a row, Dogut secured the top spot. In 2023, he won with a photograph of Polish Air Force F-16 jets.
This year, his F-4 Phantom image dominated the competition, receiving 76.7% of the 17,063 total votes cast in the final round.
Finalists and results
Dogut’s winning photograph was part of a shortlist featuring four finalists:
- Second place: Slawek Hesja Krajniewski captured Spanish F-18 jets illuminated by bright flares against sunlight, securing 12.7% of the votes.
- Third place: Bartosz Bera’s photograph of F-16 jets glowing orange above the clouds earned 5.9%.
- Fourth place: Belinda Alker photographed F-35 jets under the northern lights aboard the HMS Prince of Wales during the NATO Joint Warrior 24-1 exercise, receiving 4.7%.
A milestone in aviation photography
Dogut described the experience of capturing the iconic image from the ramp of an A400M aircraft as an unforgettable moment.
Reflecting on his achievement, he noted the significance of having his photograph featured on the cover of Air Forces Monthly magazine—marking the first time in 31 years that a Turkish aircraft graced the publication’s front page.
