Winners of 2024 Village Vibe Photo Competition

See the winning photographs from this year’s photo competition and hear the winners share their experience of coming to Delhi and watch their pictures on display at Sunder Nursery.

New Delhi

It was a warm comfortable spring day in Delhi. Winter fog had just lifted itself easing in the breeze and sun. We were at Sunder Nursery setting up Village Square’s 3rd annual photo exhibition. After tireless past couple of months of organising the Village Square annual photo competition, it was finally time for the exhibition to be on display. Entries received this year were breathtaking, spanning four different categories – food, fashion, culture and aerial. It was a tough call between pictures as the judges were left spellbound by most of them. 

Village Square is hosting an exquisite exhibition from February 9th to March 9th in Sunder Nursery.

Village Square annual photo competition and exhibition aim to bring together the photographer community dedicated to capturing rural India and its vibrant hues. Every year, we receive many entries from various talented photographers. But this year we decided to take the exhibition to the next step by bringing in the photographers to Delhi for the award ceremony and to view their own pictures on display at Sunder Nursery

So first and foremost, here are the winning images and the photographers behind them.

Food – Kishore Das – Captivating golden light falls on a tribal woman threshing rice in a village in Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh.
Fashion – Nishant Upadhyay – A woman belonging to the Gujjar tribe is dressed in traditional attire and jewellery at Paliur village in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.
Culture – Udayan Sankar Pal – Local families perform Kandanar Kelan, commonly known as Fire Theyyam, at a temple in Kannur, Kerala.
Aerial – Apratim Pal – Two women walk in search of water in a drought-prone area in Bankura district of West Bengal.
People’s ChoiceRahul Godase – An old woman prepares bhakri on an earthen chulha at her home in Tarapur village in Solapur district, Maharashtra.

Photographer Udayan Sankar Pal who travelled from Pune for the exhibit and to receive his award said, “We win many competitions but Village Square always takes care of its winner and I came especially here so I could meet the team and see my image exhibited at Sunder Nursery.” 

Also Read: Delhi grooves to sights and sounds of rural India

We also opened the voting up to you, the loyal readers and supporters of Village Square, to choose a People’s Choice winner for each category.

Also present at the venue were our esteemed judges, Micheal Swamy and Vicky Roy, who came down for the ceremony and to meet the winning photographers. Micheal who is a chef, food stylist and food photographer, said, “I was never a fan of aerial photography. Just never liked the idea. But seeing the entries in Village Square’s photo competition, I was spellbound. Some of the images captured were so unique.” He also congratulated Apratim Das, who won the aerial category. Apratim had travelled from Kolkata with his father for the event.

Amidst lush greenery, visitors delight in the exhibition nestled upon the bamboo structure.

Photographers and judges interacted at the venue. The photographers took tips from the judges as they exchanged ideas about rural photography.

The winning images along with the best shortlisted images are on display at Sunder Nursery until 9 March 2024. So if you are in and around Delhi do visit the exhibit which is free for all. Also, each weekend our engagement partners from Delhi Food Walks, Delhinama and RJ Neelakshi will be holding events around the photo exhibit. Find the schedule of activities around the photo exhibit below:

People are capturing the captivating exhibited photographs.

18 February 2024 – RJ Neelakshi – Dance and Dabeli at Sunder Nursery 

24 February 2024 – Delhinama presents Baithak with Suhail Hashmi at Sunder Nursery

3 March 2024 – Food walk by Delhi Food Walks at Sunder Nursery

If you are interested in signing up for any of these activities, connect with us on Instagram to know more. Also, stay updated on more such events by following us on our social media handles.

Also Read: The 3rd Annual Village Vibe Photo Competition