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PHOTOS: 6 Indians Shortlisted For World's Biggest Photography Competition

PHOTOS: 6 Indians Shortlisted For World's Biggest Photography Competition
Abhijeet Banerjee/ World Photography Awards

The 2016 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards has shortlisted six Indian photographers –- one in the professional category, and five in the open competition, the former being judged on a series of images, and the latter on a single shot.

This year saw a record-breaking number of participants: 2,30,103 entries that have come in from 186 countries, from which the six have been chosen. A statement released by the awards committee also mentioned that there was an astounding 123% increase in the entries that came in from India.

The shortlist also includes two international photographers who are long-term residents of India – Daniel Berehulak and Jordi Pizarro – both in the professional category.

The list of winners will be announced on 21 April at a gala ceremony in London. The winning photographers stand to win a share of a $30,000 prize, and their photos will be showcased at the World Photography Awards exhibition (April–May), and featured in the 2016 edition of the Awards book.

Here are the photos submitted by the six Indians who have been shortlisted:

Abhijit Banerjee, Open Travel Category
Abhijeet Banerjee/ Courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
Banerjee, based in Kolkata, has been shortlisted for ‘Gangasagar Fair’, a stunning portrait of India’s second largest fair which takes place every year in the month of January. The image captures devotees while they worship the sun just after their bath.
Anasuya Mandal, Open Travel Category
Anasuya Mandal/ Courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
Mandal grew up in Chandigarh and is currently pursuing her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She began travel photography three years ago as a hobby and her shortlisted image captures the Bryce Amphitheater in Utah, the United States, glistening in the rays of the sun.
Jaydip Bhattacharya, Open Smile Category
Jaydip Bhattacharya/ Courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
Bhattacharya is a high school teacher in Kolkata and a photography enthusiast who loves to photograph faces, people, children and festivals. His shortlisted image shows the ‘Joys of learning’ for a brother and sister.
Sanghamitra Sarkar, Open Low Light Category
Sanghamitra Sarkar/ Courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
Sarkar, a neurosurgeon from Kalyani, West Bengal is a passionate amateur photographer who first picked up a camera in 2011. He is interested in the documentation of different festivals both in India and abroad. The shortlisted image ‘All souls day’ was shot in the village of Puruliya, West Bengal. Nuns light candles, while village children were burning Diwali firecrackers in front of colourfully painted mud houses.
Nikunj Rathod, Open People Category
Nikunj Rathod/ Courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
Rathod, age 28, is a film director and photographer living in Mumbai who is most interested in capturing life on streets – its raw emotions and civilization. His shortlisted image ‘Bird hunter’ was taken in Mumbai and shows a young the energy of a child aiming for birds in the sky using a sling-shot.
Prakash Singh, Professional Landscape Category
Prakash Singh/ Courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
Singh found photography as a young boy but began a career in the industry in 2012. He currently lives in Dubai which is where his shortlisted series ‘Landscape' was shot.
Prakash Singh, Professional Landscape Category
Prakash Singh/ Courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
Singh found photography as a young boy but began a career in the industry in 2012. He currently lives in Dubai which is where his shortlisted series ‘Landscape' was shot.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.