The prize winning entries as well as other entries will be showcased in a News Photo Exhibition to be held at Mini Conference Hall, Ravindra Bharathi. This will be inaugurated on the occasion of World Photography Day tomorrow by His Excellency Governor of Andhra Pradesh Shri Sushilkumar Shinde. Other guests of honour who will grace the inaugural function include Shri B. Subhashan Reddy, Chairman of State Human Rights Commission and Smt. Dr. J. Geeta Reddy, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism.

The Awards initiated four years ago have come a long way in terms of creating awareness and increasing number of entries being received every year. The very first of year of instituting awards the organisers have got 180 entries. And subsequent years the numbers have been constantly swelling. In the second years 200 and in third year 220 and now the record number of 350 entries were received. In all together 68 news photographers have sent 350 entries, which means each of them have sent at least 4 to 5 entries. This shows growing amount of awareness for news photography in our state. However, there is a lot of scope for more quality work, which, I am sure will be improved in due course of time, informed Mr. Satish. To encourage and carry out with good work, we plan to increase prize money in coming years, he stated. And he thanked all those who overwhelmingly responded to the call of the association and expected similar cooperation in the years to come.

Giving details of the association, Mr. Satish said it was born out to fight for the common goodness of the industry professionals twenty years back in the year 1985. Since then it has taken up many causes concerning the fraternity. It has initiated the World Photography Day Contest in the in year 2002. And since then it had organised three such contest in each passing year at Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.

This year which happens to be the 20th anniversary of the association, it not only schedule to organise the contest in a large scale but also plans to celebrate its 20th anniversary in a befitting manner. To mark the occasion and celebrate the 20th anniversary the association plans to bring out a book "Press Photography in A.P". It will feature best of 20 years of photojournalism in A.P, Award Winning Pics of many News Photographers, the history of Photojournalism, Whose-who-of the industry etc more informed Mr. Satish. Photojournalism is an art of news communication by visual image. The objective of this effort is to recognise and encourage high professional standards in photojournalism, promote and exchange information and finally work towards advancement of profession, he added.

Speaking further he stated that the association members who are basically professional news photographers of many news papers and magazines have been bringing the actions and events taking place in the state, day after day and year after year for the past twenty years. They have been disseminating news through their eye catchy visuals. You know a picture is worth thousand words. Now it is the time to capture and preserve those remarkable works in a book for the benefit of generations to come. We appeal to all our fellow colleagues in particular and various organisations and bodies in general to help us carry out this mammoth task being done for the first time. And we solicit editorial contributions/ inputs/ visual support/ views / industry perspective or just about anything which they deem fit and worth publishing in it. Such contributions can be sent in English/Telugu.

These conbritutions can be sent to Mr. H Satish, President, A.P. Press Photographers Association, C/O The Hindu, Greenlands, Begumpet, Hyderabad or to Mr. R.V. Koteshwar Rao, Indian Express, 159/2RT, Vijayanagar Colony, Hyderabad-57 or to Mr. R. Rajamouli, Eenadu, Eenadu Compound, Somajiguda, Hyderabad. The work on the book has already been commenced and in advance state of completition. And will be released at the earliest, said Mr. Satish.

The World Photography Day is celebrated every year all over India ever since the India International Photographic Council first celebrated the World Photography Day on 19th August 1991.