MAM
Epson adds two new categories to its annual Colour Imaging contest
MUMBAI: Digital imaging solutions and printer manufacturing major Epson has rolled out its annual photography competition, which aims to encourage and promote digital imaging endeavours. The Epson Colour Imaging Contest 2005 is a pan Asian photography contest offers Indian photographers a chance to compete with the best in Asia and win international acclaim and big prize money.
Epson has introduced a few new categories this year in addition to the already existing ones. Two of the most interesting new sub categories include a Black and White Print Award, developed to acknowledge the work put in to capture expressions without the use of colour and a Camera Phone Snap Award, introduced in response to the latest trend in mobile phone imaging.
Apart from India, Epson is inviting participants from Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Taiwan, Korea and Australia to take part in the contest.
Held since 1994, the contest is a way for Epson to help promote new forms of expression via digital printing and to create a rich, fun digital imaging culture. The contest has now grown well beyond Japan to become a truly international event.
Last year there were a total of 105,033 entries of which 51,477 entries were from countries other than Japan. There were a total of 1057 entries received from India for the contest last year. Epson expects the number of entries for this years from India contest to double at least. The total prize money on offer this year is approximately Rs 6.5 million.
Epson is giving participants the choice of three award categories including a Colour Imaging Award, a Nature and Human Life Photo Award and a Family Snap Award. Renowned Japanese photographers will judge all entries in Japan. The contest will be on from 1 June to 31 August.
Epson India head – brand and communication Tushad Talati said, “The Epson Colour Imaging contest is an annual feature that is gaining in popularity every year. Last year Indian photographers fared really well picking up eight prizes on offer including the Grand Prize Runner up. Lets hope there are a large amount of entries and winners this year as well.”
Epson’s Colour Imaging Contest 2005 award winners will be announced mid-December 2005 on the Epson website – www.epson.co.in.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
