TEHRAN -- A total of 173 
artists from 28 provinces have qualified for the final round of the 33rd Iranian Youth Visual Arts Festival, following the jury’s review of submissions across 11 artistic disciplines.
Painting had the largest number of finalists, with 24 artists selected, followed by drawing with 23 and photography with 20, according to the festival’s press office.
Illustration accounted for 18 finalists, graphic design for 17 and calligraphy for 15. Sculpture and miniature painting each had 13 qualifiers, while 11 artists advanced in new media art, 10 in ceramics and nine in caricature.
Tehran led the provincial rankings with 29 finalists, followed by Isfahan with 23 and Razavi Khorasan with 18.
Alborz contributed 12 artists, while East Azerbaijan and Fars each had 10. Ardabil had seven finalists, and Qom, Kermanshah and Mazandaran each had six.
Khuzestan and Kerman each secured five places. West Azerbaijan, Qazvin, Markazi and Hamedan each had four finalists, while Gilan had three.
Bushehr, South Khorasan, Semnan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Zanjan and Yazd each had two representatives. Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, North Khorasan, Kurdistan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Golestan each had one finalist.
No artists from Ilam, Lorestan or Hormozgan provinces advanced to the final round.