Manipal: Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, has announced the winners of MAHE National Photo Contest 2026, ‘MeghMalhar’, which invited photography enthusiasts from across the country to capture the fun and fury of rain through evocative images that showcase the beauty, emotions, and environmental significance of the monsoon.
Organised in association with the Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC), Manipal, a constituent unit of MAHE and Udayavani, one of Karnataka’s leading Kannada dailies, the contest attracted entries from photographers and creative enthusiasts across India. The initiative provided a platform for participants to explore the monsoon from diverse perspectives and to document its influence on landscapes, communities, culture, livelihoods, and everyday life.
Selected photographs from the contest will be exhibited on September 17 and 18, 2026, at Dr TMA Pai Hall, 2nd Floor, Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal, as part of the celebrations marking the 91st birthday of Dr Ramdas M Pai, Padma Bhushan awardee, Chancellor, MAHE.
The contest witnessed an overwhelming response, attracting 1,138 participants who collectively submitted more than 3,623 photographs across the Open to all and MAHE categories. A notable highlight of this year’s edition was the strong response to the Student Category (Open to All), which attracted 171 entries from students representing universities and educational institutions across 20 states of India, reflecting the contest’s growing national reach among emerging photographers. The MAHE Category (My MAHE My Campus) also witnessed enthusiastic participation, drawing 603 registrations from students, faculty and staff across MAHE campuses, highlighting the university’s vibrant culture of creativity and visual storytelling.
Congratulating the winners, Dr Sharath K Rao, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, said, “The enthusiastic response to this year’s contest, particularly from students representing universities and educational institutions across India, reflects the growing power of photography as a medium for creativity, reflection and social awareness. Through their images, participants have captured not only the beauty and intensity of the monsoon, but also important themes of sustainability, resilience and our relationship with nature.”
The contest served as a platform for visual storytelling on sustainability and environmental awareness. Through compelling photographs and narratives, participants engaged with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, namely SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land), drawing attention to themes of water conservation, climate action, biodiversity, sustainable living, and the interconnected relationship between communities and the natural environment.
