OPPO India officially announced the winners of its 2025 Photography Awards at an event held in New Delhi on December 23, 2025. This marked the second edition of the competition, and it seems to have grown quite significantly since its debut. Centered around the theme “Super Every Moment,” the contest drew more than 30,000 entries from photographers across India. That number alone says something about how seriously mobile photography is now being taken, perhaps more seriously than even a few years ago.
This year’s awards were clearly designed to underline how smartphones can capture real, unfiltered slices of Indian life. Traditions, daily routines, personal struggles, and quiet moments all featured strongly. In the end, three national winners stood out for blending technical ability with storytelling that felt genuinely human. Together, they shared a total prize pool of ₹8,00,000.
Key Takeaways
- Top Winner: Soumyasikha Manna from West Bengal won the Gold Award along with ₹5,00,000 for a striking portrait of a tribal man.
- National Honors: Prathamesh Ganesh Shinde secured the Silver Award worth ₹2,00,000 for his Mallakhamb photography, while Shubham Keshari won the
- Bronze Award and ₹1,00,000 for his work captured in Varanasi.
- Hardware Focus: Shortlisted photographers used the OPPO Find X8 Pro, highlighting the brand’s emphasis on mobile imaging capabilities.
- Global Recognition: Indian photographers Rohit and Shahid Mushtaq also earned regional awards in the global phase of the competition.
National and Category Winners
The competition was divided into nine categories, each aimed at showcasing a different dimension of life in India. Categories ranged from Super Culture, which was held in partnership with Discovery Channel, to Super Environs and others that focused on people, places, and everyday experiences. While the top three national winners received cash prizes, category winners were rewarded with OPPO’s latest flagship smartphone from the Find X9 series. That detail alone likely made the contest even more appealing for mobile photography enthusiasts.
Soumyasikha Manna’s Gold-winning photograph focused on the quiet, simple life of a specially abled man from a tribal community. The image did not rely on dramatic effects, and perhaps that was its strength. In Maharashtra, Prathamesh Ganesh Shinde turned his lens toward Mallakhamb, a traditional Indian sport that combines strength, balance, and grace. His work captured athletes performing yoga-like and gymnastic movements on a vertical wooden pole, something that is both physically demanding and visually compelling. Shubham Keshari’s Bronze-winning entry offered a very different mood. His photographs from Varanasi reflected the spiritual rhythm of one of the oldest living cities in the world, where everyday life and faith often blend seamlessly.
The judging panel included Joseph Radhik, a well-known Indian celebrity photographer, along with Vikram Channa from Warner Bros. Discovery. Together with other media professionals, they reviewed thousands of submissions and narrowed them down to a shortlist of just 40 photographers. These finalists then moved on to a second round, where they were asked to use the Find X8 Pro to demonstrate their skills under similar conditions.
Technology Behind the Photos
The 2025 awards also served as a platform to highlight OPPO’s LUMO imaging system. This setup brings together camera hardware, software processing, and AI-based enhancements to manage light and color more naturally. The idea, at least in theory, is to achieve realistic skin tones and a professional-looking background blur, commonly known as bokeh, without relying on bulky DSLR equipment.
The Find X8 Pro, which all finalists used in the second round, is OPPO’s current high-end smartphone. It is known for its multi-lens camera system and strong zoom capabilities, features that clearly played a role in the quality of the shortlisted images. Meanwhile, the category winners will be among the first users of the upcoming Find X9 series, which continues OPPO’s focus on pushing mobile photography forward.
Indian Presence in Global Rankings
The Indian edition of the awards was part of a much larger global competition that received close to 2 million entries from 87 countries. Against that backdrop, India’s performance stood out. Rohit’s photograph titled “Windows of Innocence” and Shahid Mushtaq’s “Life on the Lake: A Kashmir Morning” both received Regional Awards in the global segment. These images highlighted distinctly Indian landscapes and everyday moments, offering international audiences a glimpse into local life that felt authentic rather than staged.
Frequently Asked Question
Q1: What is the total prize money for the OPPO Photography Awards 2025?
A1: The national Gold winner receives ₹5,00,000, the Silver winner gets ₹2,00,000, and the Bronze winner receives ₹1,00,000.
Q2: Which phone did the finalists use for the second round?
A2: The 40 shortlisted photographers used the OPPO Find X8 Pro to capture their final submissions.
Q3: Who were the judges for the 2025 Indian edition?
A3: The judging panel included photographer Joseph Radhik, Vikram Channa from Warner Bros. Discovery, and other media experts.
Q4: What is the LUMO imaging system?
A4: LUMO is OPPO’s combination of camera hardware, software, and AI designed to improve how smartphones handle lighting, colors, and depth in photographs.
Q5: Will there be more photography contests from OPPO?
A5: Given the noticeable growth from the first edition to the second, OPPO has indicated a long-term interest in continuing these annual awards to support India’s photography community.
