Drik honours Bangladesh Press Photo Competition winners, opens exhibition

Drik Picture Library on Friday inaugurated the Bangladesh Press Photo Exhibition 2026 and honoured the winners of this year's Bangladesh Press Photo Competition (BPPC), recognising outstanding works documenting Bangladesh through the lens of photojournalism.

The awards ceremony and exhibition opening were held at DrikPath Bhaban in Panthapath, Dhaka, according to a press release.

Among 202 participants, Sazid Hossain, deputy head of photography at Prothom Alo, won the coveted Picture of the Year 2025 award.

MD Mazharul Islam, photojournalist at Daily Times of Bangladesh, won the Public Interest Journalism and Politics category, while MD Mahmud Zaman, head of photography at the same newspaper, received an Honourable Mention.

In the Arts, Culture and Sports category, Tanvin Tamim, sports photojournalist at Daily Sun, emerged as the winner, while Abdul Goni, photojournalist at The Daily Ittefaq and currently working at The Daily Waadaa, received the Honourable Mention award.

The Picture of the Year winner received 100,000 taka while category winners were awarded 50,000 taka each. Honourable Mention recipients received 10,000 taka along with crests and certificates.

Drik also announced the recipient of the Indigenous Community Grant 2026, awarding it to indigenous photographer Mong Hai Shing Marma from Bandarban. The exhibition features the work of last year's grant recipient, Jajong Nokrek. As part of the grant, Marma will receive financial support, year-long mentorship and the opportunity to exhibit his work at the Bangladesh Press Photo Exhibition 2027.

The competition was judged by Buddhojyoti Chakma, writer and photographer at Prothom Alo; Dina Hossain, assistant professor of practice at BRAC University and documentary filmmaker; Munir Uz Zaman, photojournalist at Agence France-Presse (AFP); and Dr Shahidul Alam, photographer, activist and founder of Drik.

In his welcome address, Dr Shahidul Alam said, "When politicians plant trees, they are pleased if we photograph them. But when they carry out repression, if we take photographs of that, they pounce on us, we are persecuted. Their character keeps changing, and we have to continue our work through those shifts."

Speaking on behalf of the jury, Buddhojyoti said the competition reflected diversity both in the backgrounds of participating photographers and in the stories captured, highlighting the inclusion of indigenous photographers and images portraying women's political participation.

Addressing the event, Kamal Ahmed, consulting editor at The Daily Star, said, "We proposed the formation of an independent media commission, which the previous government perhaps did not even bother to read. I hope that this elected government will play a role in establishing it.".

The competition opened for submissions in June, inviting photographs taken in 2025. Around 1,600 images were submitted from media organisations across Bangladesh, covering politics, the economy, society, culture, wildlife, nature and documentary themes. 

Of those, 32 photographs were selected for display at this year's exhibition.

Launched in 2021, the Bangladesh Press Photo Competition aims to recognise the professionalism, skill and courage of Bangladeshi photojournalists working across the country. 

The 2026 edition marks the competition's fifth year.

The exhibition will remain open to visitors until August 12, daily from 3pm to 8pm.