The Department of Communication, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad, today opened the third edition of its World Photography Day celebrations, marking the occasion with a national photo contest, expert sessions, a camera and gear expo, and a five-day curated exhibition of award-winning photographs. The celebrations are being held on 19 and 20 August 2026, while the photo exhibition remains open to the public from 19 to 23 August 2026 at the Annex Building, S.N. School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad campus, Gachibowli.
The National Photo Contest 2026, open theme and open to both colour and monochrome work, invited entries from amateur and professional photographers across the country. Selected frames are on display across the exhibition halls, with subjects ranging from wildlife and nature to street life, landscape, and urban documentation.
The awards for the 2026 edition are as follows:
Winners
First Prize: Arkodeep Roy
Second Prize: Teppala Sahithi
Third Prize: Sayak Pal
Certificates of Merit
Gayathri
Raayan Jain
Uday Kiran
Consolation Prizes
Shritha Chillappagari
Jeevan Valpapuram
Jyoti Ranjan Rath
The prize distribution and certificate presentation will be held on 20 August 2026. In her presidential address, Prof. Kanchan K. Malik, Dean, SN School of Communication, set the tone for the day’s proceedings, following which Dr. Janardhan Rao Cheeli delivered the welcome address. Further, Mr. Kishor Krishnamoorthi who is the Chief Guest for this edition, delivered the inaugural address, featuring a special talk titled “Documenting the World,” offering insights into the power and responsibility of visual documentation.
Mr. Kishor Krishnamoorthi is a contemporary wedding and documentary photographer based in Hyderabad. Founder of Concorde Zine and Kiki Store and a Canon Brand Ambassador for India, he has documented more than 650 weddings across India and abroad, and his portfolio includes portraits of celebrated personalities as well as work associated with the film Kalki 2898 AD. He spoke about the decisions, relationships and observations behind a successful photograph.
From the 2014 election campaign photograph to documentary photographs from the lockdown period, he explained the stories and circumstances behind many of these photographs, showing how documentary photography can preserve moments that are otherwise quickly forgotten. He also shared a substantial body of wedding photography. While discussing these images, he stressed that a wedding photographer should try to understand the people’s personalities and the chemistry between them, rather than simply record the ceremony.
The session gave students an opportunity to connect classroom learning with professional experience and to ask direct questions about the choices photographers make before, during and after a shoot. The Chief Guest also appreciated the creative work presented in the exhibition by students from the University of Hyderabad and participants from universities across the country. The programme also featured a special expert talk by Dr. Nirmalya Chakraborty, wildlife photographer, documentary filmmaker and conservation writer, whose photographs have received recognition including from National Geographic and whose films have contributed to wildlife conservation awareness. He also edits the conservation awareness magazine Jungle Rhythms. He took the audience through a visual and narrative journey across three chapters.
Chapter 1 talked about the tiger kingdom journeying through the Mangroves, Terai Arc, the Emerald Forest of Panna, which told stories of many interestingly named tigers and tigresses Maya, the Queen of Tadoba, and Chota Matka. Chapter 2 talked about the relevance of saving tigers forests, highlighting the tiger’s role as an umbrella species, and forests’ contribution to reducing soil erosion, acting as carbon sinks, and supporting condensation cycles. Chapter 3 talked about the issues and challenges, along with a discussion on the ethics and responsibilities of a wildlife photographer.
This was followed by a Sony Masterclass led by Muhammed Farooq, Product Specialist, Sony, and Sayed Hussain, Sony Executive, who introduced participants to mirrorless camera technology, covering full-frame and APS-C formats and the fundamentals of vlogging.
Prof. Sathya Prakash presented saplings to both Sony representatives as a token of appreciation for their contribution to the day’s proceedings. The event concluded with a token of thanks presented to Dr. Nirmalya Chakraborthy, followed by closing remarks and an announcement of the next day’s events.
Alongside the exhibition, the two-day celebration includes photography masterclasses, sessions on wildlife, street, portrait, nature and mobile photography, editing and post-processing workshops, lighting demonstrations, portfolio reviews, guided photo walks, and a camera and photography expo featuring leading imaging brands.
The event is curated by Prof. Janardhan Rao Cheeli, Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad, and is organised in collaboration with Shutter Society.Hyd, with event management support from Buffalo Media. Building on two successful earlier editions, the initiative seeks to promote photography not merely as an art form but as a medium of communication, documentation and social expression, bringing together students, scholars, industry professionals and enthusiasts from Telangana and neighbouring states.
The exhibition is open to the public until 23 August 2026.
For further details: photo26@uohyd.ac.in | +91 82475 59845
Event website: sites.google.com/view/wpd2026uoh
Instagram: @uoh_photocontest_2026
SN School of Communication Celebrates World Photography Day 2026
Contributed by Eishita, M. A. Communication, Media Studies