Press photographers, this one's for you

Media Foundation of India’s third national press photo contest is currently open, till the end of this month. Apply now.

by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Last year, this photo competition had several breathtaking photographs on display, and some remarkable winning entries. This year, too, press photographers across the country must surely be waiting to showcase their work.

The Media Foundation of India (MFI) and YES Bank recently announced the Third National Press Photo Contest for professional press photographers. The MFI is a not-for-profit trust started by four Mumbai-based media professionals as an independent platform to organise media-related activities that could extend beyond journalistic endeavours to promote a knowledge exchange on wide-ranging contemporary issues. MFI National Press Photo Contest is India’s only national-level contest for professional press photographers and is in its third year.

As per a release from MFI, “Photographs taken between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 would be eligible for entry in this contest.” The winning entry carries a grand prize of Rs 75,000. “Additionally, three cash prizes of Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 will be given to category winners in each of the six categories,” the release says.

The jury for the contest comprises noted photographer Pablo Bartholomew, Daniel Berehulak of Getty Images and Saurabh Das of The Associated Press. Last year, the contest received submissions of over 6,500 photographs by more than 200 photographers for the six categories (Browse some of the winners and Honourable Mentions below). In the 2012 Contest, Mumbai-based photojournalist Mandar Deodhar of India Today won the Picture of the Year award. (See pic on right)

If you want to participate, pick the category for your entry from these:

General News (GN): pictures of scheduled events or planned events

Spot News (SN): pictures shot on the spot without any advance planning

Daily Life (DL): glimpses of richness and diversity of daily life

Sports (SP): pictures capturing sporting moments

Arts and Culture (AC): pictures of the literary and performing arts; festivals etc

Best Photo Stories (BPS): picture sequence of a minimum of 2 and maximum of 12 images narrating a story pictorially. Photo stories shot in any of the five categories could be entered here.

MFI says there is no entry fee for the contest, and entries can be submitted in CDs or via email. Final date for submission is Sunday, June 30, 2013. Look up http://www.mfi.org.in for details.

Some of last year’s winners and Honourable Mentions: