Ranchi: Dhanbad photographers made a strong mark at ‘Lens Utsav 2026’, a two-day photography festival and contest organised by the Jharkhand Photo Journalists Association at Audrey House to commemorate World Photography Day.
Dhanbad-based Chandan Paul won first prize in the Nature category, while photojournalist Subhojit Ghoshal topped the Festival category. Rajkumar Singh of Chandan Studio, Dhanbad, secured second position in Street Photography.
The festival brought together around 200 photographers and photojournalists from Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. A photo exhibition showcased the region’s social life, culture, wildlife, natural beauty and tourism through the lenses of professional photographers and emerging talents. Students and visitors from several educational institutions in Ranchi also visited the exhibition.
The closing ceremony was attended by Sudivya Kumar Sonu, Jharkhand Minister for Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports & Youth Affairs and Higher & Technical Education, who presented mementoes to the winners and congratulated the participants.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonu highlighted the power of photography to preserve important moments and document social change. He said photographers capture events, people and situations that remain part of collective memory for years.
Winners Across Categories
- Nature: Chandan Paul — 1st; Abhishek — 2nd; Shruti Sahay — 3rd
- Festival: Subhojit Ghoshal — 1st; Rudra Ranjit — 2nd; Rajesh Kumar — 3rd
- Street Photography: Salar Khan — 1st; Rajkumar Singh (Chandan Studio, Dhanbad) — 2nd; Gaurav Harsh — 3rd
- Tourism: Bimal Tamang — 1st; Ravi Singh (Hazaribagh) — 2nd; Pritam Kumar — 3rd
- Wildlife: Yash Yuvraj — 1st; Akshay Akash — 2nd; Rajesh Kumar — 3rd
Cultural performances were also held during the closing ceremony. Participating photojournalists described ‘Lens Utsav’ as a valuable platform for photographers to showcase their creativity, exchange experiences and encourage young talent in the field.
