Jury Members - 2026
Mr. Jayant Sharma ( Judge for Wildlife Category )
Jayanth Sharma is a wildlife photographer and writer based in Bangaluru, India. Sharma has won several wildlife photography awards on a national and international level. He is the CEO & founder of Toehold.
He received the Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012 award and also the National Geographic Yellow Border award in 2013 for the best cover shot across 14 language editions of the magazine worldwide.
He has figured in Asian Photography Magazine’s Top Ten Most Influential People in photography industry in India for four consecutive years since 2015. He has been at fifth, second and third places during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively. At the 2018 awards, he was awarded the top honour as India’s ‘First’ Most Influential from among a chosen group that comprised top officials of global multinationals.
He also started a photography-related Facebook chats that have gone on to become hugely popular. In the last one year, more than 5 million people over the world have viewed his various live videos broadcasts on Facebook, including the ones from various National Parks from around India and Kenya/Tanzania. He was the first person in the world to do a live broadcast of the great migration from the Masai Mara on Facebook in Sept 2015.
Website : https://alphacommunity.in/member/alpha-118390/
Instagram Handle : https://www.instagram.com/jayanth_sharma/?hl=en
Mr. Jagjit Singh ( Judge for Arts & Culture )
Photography for me is the work of love, so I gave it all up, head over heels with it.
As a hobbyist my journey to Darkroom and then eventually to Lightroom started way back in 1995. My voyage in this field started with Landscape & Travel Photography. Soon I realised to take up photography as my full-time profession.
Currently I am a Commercial Architecture and a Landscape Photographer based in Chandigarh, in the foothills of Himalayas.
Website : https://alphacommunity.in/member/alpha-26626/
Instagram Handle : https://www.instagram.com/jagjit.fotovoyage/?hl=en
Mr. Himanshuu Sheth ( Judge for Others Category )
Himanshu earned his Diploma in Scientific Photography from TAFE and decided to go backpacking around the globe. Since he was in Perth and had already explored much of the west coast, he started his journey by traveling to the east coast, visiting Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Adelaide. After Australia, he then went to Indonesia, Malaysia, Bali, and briefly visited India before heading to the UK, Canada, USA, Mexico, and finally ending up in Africa. Throughout these countries, he embarked on extensive road travel, often hitchhiking and finding like-minded travelers to share vehicles and reach common destinations. These travels provided him with opportunities to observe and experience diverse cultures, people, and their distinctive characteristics. He witnessed how they had adapted or reacted to their natural surroundings over generations, shaping their current states.
Website : https://www.1himanshuu.com/
Instagram Handle : https://www.instagram.com/himanshuu.sheth.photosafaaris/
Mr. Ishaan Giri ( Judge for Portraits Category )
Experienced fashion and commercial photographer with over 8 years in the field, blending creativity and technical skill to capture compelling visual stories.
Since starting in 2015, I’ve evolved from still life to shooting commercials, fashion, and celebrities, driven by passion and self-taught skills
Website : https://alphacommunity.in/member/alpha-43065/
Instagram Handle : https://www.instagram.com/ishan.nj.giri/?hl=en
Mr. Ganesh Vanare ( Judge for Daily Life Category )
Ganesh Vanare is a photographer and visual storyteller based in India, working across travel, documentary, street, and cultural narratives. With over a decade of experience, he focuses on meaningful storytelling rooted in people, traditions, festivals, and everyday life. His work is guided by deep observation, natural light, and emotional honesty, using both photography and films as tools to explore human stories. Ganesh has collaborated with leading technology, travel, and cultural brands, and continues to evolve through long-term personal projects committed to telling stories that truly matter.
Website : https://alphacommunity.in/member/alpha-116862/
Instagram Handle : https://www.instagram.com/haram_khor_/?hl=en
Mr. Umesh Gogna ( Judge for Nature & Landscapes Category )
Umesh is one of the most respected professional photographers from India. Umesh has started his journey as a freelance photographer since 1998. He has photographed many commercial & tourism assignments for his clients and Government departments. Travel, landscape & nature photography is his foremost passion.
He has accomplished more than 200 workshops of photography. Now a days Astro photography with his photography expeditions and master classes are very popular. He has spent a lot of time in documenting the cultural & architectural heritage of Rajasthan and the Himalaya.
His work has been published in several books on these subjects. Rajasthan’s royalty, fairs, festivals & colors are framed in the coffee table books of Pali, Jalore & Jhalawar by him. Some other books are lined up to be published.
Awards
Founder Member and Mentor / Jury at Camarena Academy (FB)
Honored with the Life Time Achievement Award by Jaipur Photographer’s Club
Honored with the Life Time Achievement Award for contributing to education in photography by Jodhana Photo Journalist Society
Honoured by Governor of Rajasthan (Margaret Alva) for contributing to education in photography
Part of Jury for a number of photographer’s club, colleges and schools.
Conducted over 250 workshops PAN India
Guest Faculty in Allahabad University (2008 to 2019), Central University of Bihar, BITS Pilani Club and more
Website : https://alphacommunity.in/member/alpha-21073/
Instagram Handle : https://www.instagram.com/umeshgogna/?hl=en
