We invited entries that capture not just the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic but also the hope of an infection-free future.<\/p>\n
Nature India<\/em>\u00a0is covering various aspects of the pandemic since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in India.\u00a0Our stories<\/a>\u00a0have taken a cross-cutting approach \u2014 going beyond hard core science into the socio-economic, cultural and psychological fall outs of the pandemic. As an extension of that coverage, it was only natural to consider \u201cpandemic\u201d as the theme for the annual photo contest.<\/p>\n Like always, entries came from a mix of amateur and professional photographers, scientists and non-scientists, mobile cameras and high-end DSLRs.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Nature India<\/em>\u00a0editorial and design teams have chosen ten stunning finalists, that will be rolled out (in no particular order of merit) over the next few days.\u00a0Nature India\u2019<\/em>s final decision to chose the winner will be partly influenced by\u00a0the engagement and reception these pictures receive here at the\u00a0Indigenus<\/a>\u00a0blog, on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will consider the\u00a0social media engagement each picture gets only during the first seven days of its announcement. The final results will be announced sometime in early February 2021.<\/p>\n “COVID-19 affected the mental health of millions of people worldwide. Children in India suffered loneliness due to long lockdowns. At an age when the outdoors and physical activity are necessary for their mental and physical growth, children stuck at home were glued to digital devices for learning and entertainment. This photo was taken in April 2020 during the lockdown in the small city of Kolhapur in western India. A boy is seen with a non-digital plaything \u2013 a carrom board \u2013 on the terrace of his home, but there\u2019s no one to play with him.” — Deepak Kumbhar.<\/em><\/p>\n Congratulations Deepak for making it to top 10!<\/strong><\/p>\n Watch this space as we announce the other finalists in the coming days. Like, share and comment on your favourite photos on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto to make them win.<\/p>\n These entries have been judged for novelty, creativity, quality and print worthiness. The winner and runners-up will also receive a copy of the\u00a0Nature India<\/em>\u00a0Annual Volume 2020 and a bag of Nature Research goodies. Winning entries stand a chance of being featured on the cover of one of our forthcoming print publications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s time to roll out the shortlist of the Nature India Photo Contest 2020. Read more<\/a> Continue reading So here\u2019s finalist number one in the Nature India photo contest 2020:<\/em><\/h3>\n
Deepak Kumbhar, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.<\/h3>\n
Photo caption:\u00a0Home-bound<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/indigenus\/files\/2021\/01\/1-1024x732.jpg\" "\\"1\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe winning pictures will get cash prizes worth $350, $250 and $200 respectively. The top 10 finalists will be featured here, on\u00a0Nature India\u2019s blog\u00a0Indigenus<\/a>\u00a0and in our subsequent annual issue.<\/strong><\/h3>\n