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OPPO India launches imagine IF Photography Awards 2024
Mumbai: OPPO India has announced the imagine IF Photography Awards in the country. The initiative—with renowned director & screenwriter, SS Rajamouli as its Indian ambassador—is designed to spark creativity in mobile photography. OPPO launched the imagine IF Photography Awards globally in 2023. The inaugural edition of the Awards witnessed over 7,00,000 entries from 51 countries. This is the second year for imagine IF, and its first foray into India.
“As an artist, I’ve always believed in pushing the boundaries of creativity, exploring uncharted territories, and inspiring others to do the same,” S S Rajamouli said. “The OPPO imagine IF India Photography Awards 2024 represents a bold step towards celebrating innovation and imagination in mobile photography, and I am thrilled to be a part of this initiative. Let’s capture the extraordinary, let’s imagine the impossible, and let’s create a legacy of inspiration for generations to come.”
The competition, open to all Indian citizens over 18 years, features nine entry categories— landscape, portrait, colours, unfading moment, fashion, snapshot, light, travel, and collection — and will be judged by a panel of expert photographers: Celebrity Wedding and Portrait photographer and OPPO Imaging Expert Joseph Radhik, wildlife photographer Arzoo Khurana, fashion photographer Arjun Mark, and other global juries.
OPPO India head of digital marketing Sushant Vashistha said, “OPPO India is proud to bring the Imagine IF Photography Awards to the country, providing a platform to showcase the incredible talent of Indian photographers. As the sole smartphone brand featured in Paris Photo 2023, OPPO showcased a collection of outstanding images, including those by renowned photographers and winning entries from the 2023 OPPO Imagine IF Photography Awards. This year, we can’t wait to see some incredible photographs from India being showcased on the global stage.”
Participants can share their smartphone photographs for ‘Round 1’ until 15 June 2024 (Midnight IST). From these, 50 winners—announced in the last week of June—will proceed to Round two. This second phase will commence in early July, and the final six winners will be announced on 25 July 2024
From the top winners, the Gold winner will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000, two Silver winners will win Rs 2,00,000, three Bronze winners will win Rs 1,00,000. All five winners will get the opportunity to attend the Paris Show and the latest OPPO phone, besides getting an opportunity to collaborate with OPPO India for the photography led projects.
For more information, please visit the official event website at https://imagine-if.oppo.com/in/?dataTab=theme. OPPO India welcomes all mobile photographers to join this exciting opportunity to explore their artistic expression and bring their creativity to life.
The awards were announced on the sidelines of the OPPO Ambassador Conclave in Mumbai that commenced with the unveiling of the OPPO Find X7 Ultra, the world’s first quad main camera with HyperTone Image Engine. Renowned industry leaders, influencers, and OPPO Ambassadors, including Dharma Cornerstone COO Rajeev Masand; director Anubhav Sinha; DOP Sudeep Chatterjee, PHD Media India CEO Monaz Todywalla; and Famous COO Raj Kamble, led discussions on the evolution of smartphone photography, AI advancements, and the rise of content creators.
Brands
SatLeo Labs raises $5.5m seed funding led by Unicorn India Ventures
Fresh capital to power thermal satellite mission and AI data platform
MUMBAI: SatLeo Labs has raised $2.2 million in a fresh seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures, taking its total funding to $5.5 million as it steps up efforts to scale its space-based thermal intelligence platform.
The funding round also saw participation from existing backers including Merak Ventures, Java Capital, IIMA-CIIE and deep-tech investor Manish Gandhi.
The capital will be used to accelerate SatLeo’s flagship thermal satellite mission and further develop its AI-powered platform designed to deliver high-resolution thermal and visible data from low Earth orbit. The company aims to turn this data into actionable insights for sectors ranging from climate monitoring to urban planning.
Over the past year, SatLeo has scaled rapidly, growing its team from 8 to 30 specialists across satellite engineering, thermal sensing and AI-led geospatial analytics. It has also achieved a key milestone with the development of its first experimental payload, TAPAS-1, which reached near flight-ready status within six months and is now positioned for launch.
On the ground, the startup has begun translating its technology into real-world use cases. Pilot projects in cities such as Ahmedabad and Tumakuru have focused on monitoring urban heat islands and air pollution, impacting over 400,000 citizens. At the same time, its commercial pipeline has expanded sharply, with letters of intent rising from around $15 million to over $42 million within a year.
SatLeo Labs co-founder and CEO Shravan Bhati said, “Sustainability has become imperative amid accelerating climate change and rapid urbanisation. This fundraise represents a critical milestone as we move into the execution phase of our next mission.”
He added that the company is focused on scaling its satellite constellation and enhancing payload performance to deliver thermal intelligence at a global level.
Backing the startup, Unicorn India Ventures managing partner Bhaskar Majumdar said, “Space is an arena where the next wave of technological innovation will emerge. SatLeo’s ability to combine thermal and visible satellite data into real-time insights positions it strongly for long-term growth.”
Looking ahead, SatLeo plans to focus on launch readiness, expanding commercial deployments and scaling its technology stack over the next 12 months.
As demand for climate and environmental intelligence grows, SatLeo’s latest fundraise signals rising investor confidence in space-tech solutions that bring data from orbit down to everyday decision-making.
