Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated the top 12 winners of the HT@100 ‘My Country, My Lens’ national photography contest at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025. The contest was organised as part of the centenary celebrations of Hindustan Times, one of India’s leading English dailies.
During the ceremony, the Prime Minister presented citations to the winning photographers in the presence of Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson and Editorial Director of Hindustan Times. The initiative aimed to encourage citizens to capture and share their perspectives on India through photography.
The ‘My Country, My Lens’ contest received an overwhelming response, with over 10,000 entries submitted from more than 30 cities across the country. Participants showcased their work across four broad themes—Borders, Rivers, Monuments, and Communities of My Country—highlighting the nation’s cultural diversity, geography and everyday life.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi said the initiative could become “a source of great strength for photography in the country,” underlining the power of visual storytelling in capturing India’s spirit.
Speaking on the occasion, Shobhana Bhartia said the contest was conceived to mark Hindustan Times’ 100-year journey by celebrating the collective stories of India and its people, beyond the publication’s own milestone.
A distinguished jury comprising noted photographers Rohit Chawla, Dhritiman Mukherjee and Ajay Aggarwal evaluated the entries and shortlisted the Top 100 photographs, from which the top 12 winners were selected.
The contest forms a key part of Hindustan Times’ centenary initiatives, reflecting its continued commitment to journalism, creativity and public engagement.