Thrill
The Real Thrill.
Imagine's flagship annual competition for student photojournalists.
The Award
Padam Excellency National Award
- Prize
- ₹1,00,000 (one lakh rupees)
- Eligibility
- Entrants must be journalists. This is the minimum qualification required to participate.
- Entries
- Entry details will be announced.
The Real Thrill challenges entrants to produce a powerful, single-image submission that explores a central theme within their local community. It is not just about finding beautiful images, but about weaving a compelling, authentic narrative that sheds light on the human condition in one frame.
The Prize
The winner receives an award to fund a documentary project, publication in the Imagine Annual Print Edition, and a featured exhibition at the Jaipur Photojournalism Seminar.
Rules & Guidelines
- Submissions must be exactly one image.
- The image can be taken from any year — it does not need to be from the current academic year.
- Strict adherence to the Imagine Code of Ethics: no digital manipulation, AI generation, or staging.
- Captions must follow journalistic standards (who, what, when, where, why).
Judging Criteria
Submissions are evaluated blindly by a panel of working photojournalists and editors. They look for narrative coherence, emotional resonance, ethical integrity, and technical execution.