{"id":5005,"date":"2017-12-31T01:52:38","date_gmt":"2017-12-31T01:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/?p=5005"},"modified":"2017-12-31T01:52:38","modified_gmt":"2017-12-31T01:52:38","slug":"announcing-winners-of-ni-photo-contest-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/2017\/12\/announcing-winners-of-ni-photo-contest-2017.html","title":{"rendered":"Announcing winners of NI Photo Contest 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

In keeping with our annual tradition of heralding the new year, we are happy to announce the\u00a0winners of the Nature India Photo Contest 2017.<\/p>\n

The winners of the fourth edition of this photo contest have been chosen\u00a0after over a week of\u00a0unprecedented activity on the\u00a0Indigenus<\/a>\u00a0blog and our social media channels (Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0), and brainstorming by a global Nature Research jury.<\/p>\n

The photographs have been judged for their adherence to this year’s theme ‘Grand Challenges’, for their creative thinking, quality and print worthiness. They were also rated in part on the engagement they received on social media.<\/p>\n

Taking top spot\u00a0amidst some\u00a0tough competition, here\u2019s the winner of the\u00a0Nature India<\/em>\u00a0photo contest 2017:<\/p>\n

Deepak Bhau Kumbhar<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>from Maharashtra, India<\/strong><\/h2>\n

for\u00a0his image ‘Just one world<\/strong>\u2019<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>that\u00a0provides a\u00a0superb analogy for the<\/strong>\u00a0greedy consumption of the world\u2019s limited resources by humans.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In second position is:<\/h3>\n

Ricky Patel<\/a><\/i> from West Bengal, India with his\u00a0hard hitting photo\u00a0\u2018Cleaning up my abode\u2019<\/em> \u2014\u00a0a poignant reminder of how humans plunder the earth for their own selfish needs.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The third prize is jointly shared by:<\/p>\n

Avinash Surendran<\/a>\u00a0 from Bengaluru, India\u00a0<\/em>for\u00a0\u2018Children of the Sun\u2019<\/em>\u00a0that celebrates human practicality and ingenuity\u00a0in finding real solutions to challenges.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

and<\/p>\n

Dipankar Ghosh<\/a> from Minnesota,\u00a0USA\u00a0<\/em>for his arresting image\u00a0\u2018Fishy tales\u2019<\/em>\u00a0that\u00a0beautifully humanises the depletion of our seas.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Congratulations to all the winners! These\u00a0images will be featured in the\u00a0Nature India Annual Compendium 2017 and also stand a chance of becoming cover material for one of our forthcoming publications<\/em>. All winners will receive a special bag of goodies from the Nature Research team soon.<\/p>\n

We thank all of our participants for sending in such brilliant pictures. There will be more photo contests soon and we hope to see their beautiful images again \u2014 perhaps on top next time!<\/p>\n

Nature India\u2019s first<\/em>\u00a0photo contest<\/a>\u00a0was conceived in 2014. The overwhelming response\u00a0that captured the resurgence of science in the world\u2019s largest democracy with the theme \u2018Science & Technology in India\u2019 was enough for us to make the contest an annual affair.<\/p>\n

With 50 entries in 2014, the photo contest has grown massively in size as\u00a0several hundred entries pour in every year since from all corners of the world. The quality, quantity and novelty of these entries has been overwhelming. We were equally impressed with the way both amateur and professional photographers, scientists and non-scientists captured the rather tough theme \u2018Grand Challenges\u2019 with a variety of instruments \u2014 from cellphone cameras to high end DSLRs.<\/p>\n

We will be back next year with another theme and hopefully equally stunning images.\u00a0Till then, enjoy these\u00a0winning images (click on them to enlarge) and the stories behind them. We wish you a very happy new year!<\/p>\n

Winner: Deepak Bhau Kumbhar<\/a>.\u00a0Picture caption:\u00a0Just one world<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"5-1\"<\/a>

{credit}Deepak Bhau Kumbhar{\/credit}<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Deepak<\/a>

Deepak Bhau Kumbhar<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThese beautiful caterpillars face severe competition from one another, trying to nibble into a single piece of leaf. That\u2019s what is happening to mankind \u2013 we are greedily consuming the world\u2019s limited resources. It is time we realise that soon there won\u2019t be enough left for all of us. Though that realization has dawned among many, out of sheer habit we continue to nibble into the same leaf.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am a science teacher at a high school, passionate about micro wildlife photography. I photograph nature\u2019s amazing creations and show them to my students with various messages.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Deepak Bhau Kumbhar, Maharashtra, India.<\/p>\n

Second Prize winner:\u00a0Ricky Patel<\/a>. Picture caption: Cleaning up my abode.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"3-1\"<\/a>

{credit}Ricky Patel{\/credit}<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Ricky<\/a>

Ricky Patel<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cCan we please use biodegradable material or adopt safer waste disposal practices, at least inside the national parks? My friends and I living in the Ranthambore National Park (Rajasthan, India), have a hard time cleaning up after careless tourists .\u201d This Royal Bengal Tiger, with a plastic bottle in its mouth, would probably say something similar if it could speak to you. Incessant use of non-biodegradable polymers makes a mockery of our national programme of \u2018Clean India\u2019, even in highly protected zones.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ricky Patel, West Bengal, India<\/p>\n

Joint third prize winner:\u00a0Avinash Surendran<\/a>.\u00a0Picture caption:\u00a0Children of the Sun.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"4-1\"<\/a>

{credit}Avinash Surendran{\/credit}<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Avinash<\/a>

Avinash Surendran<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cEnough sunlight hits the earth in an hour to power it for a year. Why aren\u2019t we using this resource enough? Even five years ago, powering homes or industries using solar power would be considered a billionaire philanthropist\u2019s dream. However, in the last five years, the cost of solar energy has fallen by a fifth, making it cheaper than fossil fuels in many countries around the world. The story of solar energy is not just about sunlight. Its success includes sound technology, innovation and the political will to solve the grand challenge of cheap sustainable energy. It is a story of democratization of energy and leaving the planet a better place for our children. The next generation should inherit this energy from the sun \u2013 they should be the children of the sun.<\/em><\/p>\n

This photo was taken from the terrace of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore. I am a PhD student there and contributed to the installation of a solar rooftop power plant which offsets the energy usage of the entire institute, while providing cheaper electricity than that available from the grid. This photo for me is symbolic of the opportunity we have in solving the problem of cheap sustainable energy for all.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Avinash Surendran, Bengaluru, India.<\/p>\n

Joint third prize winner: Dipankar Ghosh<\/a>. Picture caption: Fishy tales.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"2-1\"<\/a>

{credit}Dipankar Ghosh{\/credit}<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dipankar<\/a>

Dipankar Ghosh<\/p><\/div>\n

“A dramatic increase in population and climate change are depleting global natural resources at an alarming rate. Fishermen on the Puri coast in Odisha, India depend on the ocean\u2019s natural resource for their livelihood. But meeting daily targets of fish haul to earn a living is often a big challenge.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dipankar Ghosh, Minnesota, USA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In keeping with our annual tradition of heralding the new year, we are happy to announce the\u00a0winners of the Nature India Photo Contest 2017.  Read more<\/a> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,183,7,161431],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-award","category-nature-india-photo-contest","category-publishing","category-science-communication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5005\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}