The Press Club of Jammu (PCJ) has announced that it is constituting a photography award with the aim of encouraging professionalism in the field of journalism.
According to Zorawar Singh Jamwal, the PCJ Secretary General, entries have been invited for the Ashok Sodhi Memorial Awards for Best Photography.
"PCJ, Jammu in its first-ever initiative of this kind is going to hold the Ashok Sodhi Memorial Award function for Best Photograph on his birth anniversary on September 21 this year with an aim to encourage professionalism in the field of journalism.
"It will be an initiative which is in the interest of the entire journalist fraternity," PCJ said in a release here, adding that it will be an annual award in which the best photographs will be recognised suitably, including with a citation.
The awards shall be for three categories with cash prizes of Rs 11,000, Rs 8,000 and Rs 5,000 while five consolation prizes of Rs 2,000 each, too, will be handed out.
Entries have been invited from across the state and PCJ said that not only photojournalists, but also the citizen journalists can register themselves before August 15.
There will be no specific theme for the photographs and those interested can get the forms upon payment of a nominal fee of Rs 100 at the Press Club of Jammu from June 15 onwards.
Senior and professional journalists will be among the members of the jury which is set up to adjudge the best photographs.
Each participant can submit only one photograph (size (8" x 10") before or by the last date of August 15.
Senior photojournalist Ashok Sodhi died while performing his professional duties during a fierce encounter between militants and security forces in Samba on May 11, 2008.
