1st Edition – 2018

The 1st edition took place from 11 April to 22 July 2018. In total 6,625 photos were submitted by young girls and boys from 100 countries along the Silk Roads. Photographers were invited to take photos that represent the Silk Roads heritage within the four major themes of Culture, Monuments, Landscape and People. This first edition benefited from the kind support and valuable advice of the renowned photographer and humanitarian Reza.

The award ceremony took place on 21 September 2018 in Beijing, China on International Day of Peace, in close collaboration with the contest partner, the China World Peace Foundation. A travelling exhibition presenting the 57 best photos was organised following this contest. It was exhibited for the first time as a side event during the award ceremony in Beijing. These photos were also displayed in various travelling exhibitions around the world (Oman, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russian Federation, UNESCO HQ in Paris, and Türkiye). This exhibition was also displayed at the venues of international conferences such as the ‘World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue’ in Baku, Azerbaijan on 2-3 May 2019, and the ‘Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations’ in Beijing on 15 May 2019.

2nd Edition – 2019–2020

The 2nd edition of the contest, which launched in 2019 and closed in 2020, received 3,500 photos from 85 different countries. Here participants were invited to submit photographs which represented the shared heritage of the Silk Roads through three themes derived from the Thematic Collection of the Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads: 'Gastronomy and Food Production', 'Music and Dance', and 'Traditional Sports and Games'. The award ceremony was held (on-site and online) in Beijing in September 2021 as part of the Peace Garden Peace Festival.

3rd Edition – 2021

The 3rd edition of the photo contest took place in May 2021 with the results announced in September 2021. Here, participants were invited to submit their photographs that best captured the shared heritage of the Silk Roads through the two parallel themes of 'Textiles and Clothing' (derived from the Thematic Collection of the Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads), and 'Intercultural Exchanges in the Time of Covid-19, including in the field of Textiles and Clothing'. 

This 3rd edition was launched at a time when many educational and cultural institutions were temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This contest in the middle of a worldwide pandemic provided an opportunity for young people to connect with one another in a digital space and share their creativity and vision for a post-pandemic world.

4th Edition – 2022

The 4th edition of the photo contest took place from May to August 2022. For this edition, participants were invited to submit their photographs that best captured the shared heritage of the Silk Roads through the two themes of 'Faith and Spiritualities' derived from the Thematic Collection of the Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads, and 'Living Together'. Around 5,000 submissions were received.

In 2023, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the UNESCO Silk Roads Programme, an exhibition was displayed outside UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, presenting 140 exceptional photographs from this contest, with the support of the photo contest’s partner, the Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation. This collection of photographs was an opportunity to celebrate the creativity of young photographers and artists living in or travelling along the Silk Roads.

5th Edition – 2023

The 5th edition of the photo contest took place from June to August 2023. For this edition, young people were invited to submit their photographs that best captured the shared heritage of the Silk Roads through the theme of 'Architecture, Monuments and Urbanism' derived from the Thematic Collection of the Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads. More than 6,700 submissions were received for this 5th edition of the contest.

6th Edition – 2024

Held from May to August 2024, this edition invited youth to submit photos illustrating the theme 'Life Celebrations'. For this 2024 edition, around 4,500 photos were received.