Awards
DNA journo wins ‘Picture of the Year’ award
MUMBAI: Four years and running. The Express Group brought the World press photo exhibition, an annual exhibition shown at about 85 venues in 40 countries all over the world, and for the second time they took an initiative to identify, promote and reward the Indian Press photographer and photojournalist, through Ramnath Goenka India Press photo awards.
This year’s winner of the most prestigious award – The Ramnath Goenka Picture of the Year – went to 27-year-old Vipin Pawar of DNA newspaper. He confessed that press photographers were always looked down upon by their fellow journalists. Vipin started out clicking Page Three parties, eventually got a chance to do more constructive shoots, but always wanted to do sports photography.
The India Press winning photos and some selected entries were credited as ‘Honourable Mention’.
The occasion was marked by the presence of Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, an avid photographer himself.
The Awards sought participation of photo journalists from all over India under 10 categories namely Spot news, General news, Daily news, People in the news, Arts and entertainment, Sports, Nature and enviornment, Contemporary Issues, Advertising photography and international photograhers covering India. The panel of judges included Devika Daulat Singh-director of photography at Photoink, Pablo Bartholomew-photojournalist/documentary photographer, Gamma-Liason Photo News Agency, New York, Prashant Panjiar – Time magazine.
Click here for the award winning photographs
Express Group CEO and editor-in-chief Shekhar Gupta said that press photograhers, through their unique skill and effort, tell a story. Strong stories of what happen around us – our neighbourhood, city, state and in our country. They capture the essence of news through their eyes and their lenses.
The best encapsulation of News and Press photography can be seen from 16-30 December at Express Towers, Mumbai.
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
