As a mother and daughter enjoyed an urban picnic on the rooftop of their Dhaka home, Bangladesh, photographer Mithail Afrige Chowdhury pressed the shutter on his camera to capture the contrasting scene.
The daughter, Nuraine, wanted the unfamiliar experience of eating in nature, but the pair found themselves atop a rigid structure at the heart of a concrete jungle. The mother, unable to whisk her daughter away from the city, decided to bring nature to them, propping up a blanket depicting the scene of a heavenly landscape akin to an Ansel Adams photo.
This picture tells the story of human resilience among the ever-expanding city limits and infrastructure challenges faced by Dhaka residents, and with it Chowdhury scooped the Striking Solo Photography category at the 2025 Wellcome Photography Prize.
“Awards can feel technical, but this recognition from Wellcome feels deeply human,” he told the prize organizers.
The biennial photography competition celebrates images drawing attention to issues on health, science, and the human experience, awarding each of the three winners a grand prize of £10,000 approximately $13,300 / AU$19,300), along with widespread recognition.
Today, July 14, the competition begins its call for entries to the 2027 edition, with photographers invited to submit pictures across three categories: a striking solo image, a storytelling series, and scientific or medical imaging.
While category winners take home the aforementioned top cash prizes, the remaining 22 finalists will receive £1,000 (approximately $1,300 / AU$2,000), with all 25 finalists invited to an awards ceremony.
Entry to the prize closes October 21, 2026, and you can make your submission by heading to the competition webpage. Following his 2025 win, Chowdhury said: “When I got the news, the first thing I did was charge my camera—not to take a photo, but to restart something I thought I’d lost. I won’t dwell on personal or professional hardships, but this moment means more than I can say."
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