The seventh National Photography Awards were given to 13 winners by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore at a function held at the National Media Centre here on Tuesday.
The 'Lifetime Achievement Award' was presented to ace photographer Ashok Dilwali known for his work on the Himalayas.
A total of 13 awards carrying cash prizes were presented to the winners in professional and amateur categories. Shanth Kumar won the 'Professional Photographer of the Year' award, while Gurdeep Dhiman won award for 'Amateur Photographer of the Year'.
Rathore suggested his ministry to hold exhibitions of the entries of the award, in schools and colleges across India in order to inspire youngsters.
Special mention award winners in professional category were Arun Sreedhar, PV Sunderrao, Kailash Mittal, Mihir Singh, and Ranita Roy.
The winners of special mention awards in amateur category were V Ravi Kumar, S Neelima, Manish Jaisi, Mahesh Balasaheb Lonkar and Avijit Datta.
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The 'Lifetime Achievement Award' carried a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, 'Professional Photographer of the Year' category and 'Amateur Photographer of the Year' category carried Rs 1 lakh and Rs 75,000 cash rewards, respectively; the special mention awards carried prizes of Rs 50,000 (professional) and Rs 30,000 (amateur) each.
The theme for the professional category was 'Women led Development', while the theme for amateur category was 'Fairs and Festivals of India'.
Rathore appreciated the photographers, saying they not only capture moments but also fill them with a soul.
He highlighted significance of photographs as a storehouse of memories and praised the virtues of perseverance, patience, discipline and passion which go behind the hours spent by photographers waiting for the perfect shot.
National Photography Awards is organised by Photo Division under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Photo Division existed as a separate unit under the ministry, but now it has been brought under the aegis of PIB.
The awards aim at promoting art and technique of photography and also to encourage professional and amateur photographers from all corners of the country.
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