DJMPC is pleased to have eminent personalities as our juries this year.
Dr.Anish Andheria is the President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), a not-for-profit, set up to preserve, protect and conserve forests and wildlife. He is a member of several Government Committees including the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). He has been awarded the prestigious Carl Zeiss Conservation Award in 2008. He is a large carnivore biologist with immense knowledge on predator-prey relationships and has contributed to several carnivore conservation projects across India. A wildlife photographer of repute, he has photographed some of the most remote wildlife reserves of India. His collection of over 350,000 images serves as a veritable archival record of the wildlife and wildernesses of India. He is part of the Organising Committee of the India Climate Collaborative (ICC); a member of the Governing Council of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
Dr Lalith Ekanayake VSV, USP, MBBS, MD, FCCP, DDHM (Aus), EFIAP (Excellence de la Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique) is a foremost medical specialist in Sri Lanka and wildlife photography is his passion which has earned numerous gold medals and awards across the world. To name a few, First Place in Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards (India), First Place in PSSL (Sri Lanka), Memorial Maria Luisa (Spain), BigPicture (USA), Mont Photo (Spain), Milvus (Romania), Natures Best Asia (Japan), Glanzlichter (Germany), Golden Turtle (Russia), Fotonoja (Spain), Wild Art (UK), Montier (France), National Wildlife Federation (USA), TransNatura (Romania), Bio Photo (Italy), Nature TTL (UK), Smithsonian (USA), Environmental Photographer (UK), Stories of Survival (UK), Oasis (Italy), Nature In Focus (India), Siena (Italy), Bird Photographer (UK) and many more.
He is a professional photographer, who has travelled to many countries in search of rare, elusive and curious animals. He has been photographing wildlife and its threatened habitats for about two decades, before which he was involved with a digital media design venture. His work attempts to portray the many moods of wildlife. His photographs have been featured in national and international media. He has received several photography awards as well. Apart from birds and mammals, he loved frogs and helped re-discover a new species of frog in India called Ramanella anamalaeinsis, during one of his expeditions.
Born into an agricultural family in Coimbatore, India, in 1950, for this amateur turned professional, photography is his first love. He took to photography at the age of 14. He is a Five Star Nature photographer and has won many awards in National and International photography exhibitions. In 1980, he was elected as an Associate of Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain (ARPS), and Artiste of Federation International Art of Photography (AFIAP). In 1984, he was elected as Associate of the Photographic Society of America (APSA) With over 30 years of experience, he established his first commercial studio, RK Photo Centre, in 1991. Apart from successful businessmen and experienced photograper, his services to photography have been noteworthy. He had served as the chairman of the Nature division of the Federation of Indian Photography for many years. He had conducted very many photography workshops. He also judged many national and international exhibitions in the past 40 years. He also teaches photography and photo workshops regularly. He is also a committee member of All India Photographic Trade and Industries Association for the past 12 years.
Vikram Sathyanathan, a passionate photographer for 30 years, specializes in nature, wildlife, and heritage photography. His work, including the coffee table book "Thanjavur - A Cultural History," showcases his journey from film to digital, with a focus on conservation and wild habitats.