This marks the first year that the Nes Foundation and OR National Missions, in conjunction with the Beersheba Tourism Department and Old City Administration, have started a new tradition: an international photography contest themed "The Old City of Beersheba." The aim of the project is to increase public awareness of the Old City, expose its beauty, and brand it as Israel's southern center of art.

Photographers from all over Israel were invited to pictorially document this ancient city in renewal: its warm population, Ottoman architecture, local stories, etc. Among the hundreds of photos submitted to the contest, 37 were chosen to be part of the 7Zoom Exhibit, which took place in the Old City Artists' Quarter and closed in July.

Concurrently with the international contest, Beersheba held a local photography project in which many of its residents took part. They received cameras and film and, under the guidance of photography students, took pictures of their surroundings for several months. Seventeen of the participants' photos were also chosen to be exhibited.

Here is a gallery of the photos that were selected to be in the 7Zoom Exhibit.

We congratulate the photographers who took top honors, and thank all the exhibitors and visitors.

See you at 7Zoom 2009!