Union MoS Dr L Murugan Presents National Photography Awards, Know the List of Winners here

The Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Dr L. Murugan confers the 8th National Photography Awards in New Delhi today i.e. March 07, 2023. At the function, a total number of 13 awards were granted involves one ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ with a special cash prize of Rs 3,00,000. Another one was the ‘Professional Photographer of the Year’ Award and also the ‘Amateur Photographer of the Year’ category with cash prizes of Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 75,000 respectively were presented.

Moreover, 5 Special Mention Awards in both Professional and Amateur categories were also given along with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and Rs 30,000 each respectively. Ms Sipra Das was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. ‘Professional Photographer of the Year’ Award was given to Shri Sasi Kumar Ramachandran while Shri Arun Saha bagged the ‘Amateur Photographer of the Year’ Award. 

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8th National Photography Awards Ceremony at National Media Centre, New Delhi@ianuragthakur @Murugan_MoS @PIB_India @DDNewslive @airnewsalerts https://t.co/UnWr2nq9bC

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Themes at Award Function

13 Awards in total were presented during the ceremony comprising 6 each in the Professional and Amateur category. Talking about the theme for the Professional category was "Life and Water" whereas for the Amateur category, the theme was "Cultural Heritage of India".

Dr Murugan addressed the audience and further congratulated all the award winners. He acknowledged the efforts of all winners who have gathered there from diverse professional backgrounds. However, these awardees possess a great fire of passion within them for photography. These awards recognize the exceptional talent and incredible capabilities of these photographers.

In addition to this, the Minister stated that photography is a universal visual language also referred to as a language that transcends time and space. It not only records the present but also provides a portal to view the distant past. Photographs are truthseekers and they will always speak the truth about every action and emotion reflected in their creativities.

Appreciation of Photographers

The Minister recollects the contributions made by photographs in immortalizing the freedom movement and associated leaders, as he celebrates Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The photographers deserve commendation for their dedication to their profession and their innate desire to spread their stories and creations.

These exemplary photographers play a crucial role in raising awareness about the rich and unique cultural heritage and introducing cultural capital across the globe. A special brochure was also released by the dignitaries on the noteworthy occasion.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Apurva Chandra gave a speech on the occasion by announcing that the National Photography Awards is an initiative to cherish the immense efforts made by the photographers of India. Shri Chandra suggested that government flagship schemes can also be included as a category of awards in the coming bright future.

Shri Vijay Kranti, the Chairman of the Jury for the awards told the audience that 9 entries in total were received for Lifetime Achievement Award while 12 entries were in the category on the proposal of Jury members. 462 entries with a total of 4,535 images were received for the Professional category and these entries were received from across 21 States and 4 Union Territories of India. In the Amateur category, 874 entries with 6,838 images were collected from 24 States as well as 6 Union Territories.

Winners List of the 8th National Photography Awards:

• Lifetime Achievement Award - Ms Sipra Das
• Professional Photographer of the Year Award - Shri Sasi Kumar Ramachandran
• Special Mention Awards in the Professional category 

1. Dipjyoti Banik
2. Shri Manish Kumar Chauhan
3. Shri RS Gopakumar
4. Shri Sudipto Das
5. Shri Umesh Harishchandra Nikam

• Amateur Photographer of the Year Award - Shri Arun Saha
• Special Mention Awards in the Amateur category

1. Shri CS Sreeranj
2. Dr Mohit Wadhawan
3. Shree Ravishankar SL
4. Shri Subhadip Bose
5. Shri Tharun Adurugatla

Members of the Jury for the 8th National Photography Awards 

• Shri Vijay Kranti, Chairman
• Shri Jagdish Yadav, Member
• Shri Ajay Aggarwal, Member
• Shri K. Madhavan Pillai, Member
• Ms Ashima Narain, Member, and
• Shri Sanjiv Misra, Photographic Officer, Photo Division, Member Secretary.

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