Hyderabad-born photographer Raghuvamsh Chavali wins top honour at Italy’s Trieste Photo Days

Hyderabad-born Canadian photographer Raghuvamsh Chavali won the Best Author Award at the URBAN Animals 2025 International Photography Competition in Italy for his project “Wings Over Concrete.” His work explores the coexistence of wildlife and cityscapes, earning global acclaim for its originality.

HYDERABAD: Raghuvamsh Chavali, a Canadian photographer of Hyderabad origin, has been honoured with the Best Author Award at the prestigious URBAN Animals 2025 International Photography Competition, part of Trieste Photo Days (Italy) – one of Europe’s most celebrated festivals of contemporary photography – on Friday night .

The recognition celebrates Chavali’s exceptional photographic vision and storytelling ability through his acclaimed project “Wings Over Concrete”, which explores the harmony and tension between wildlife and urban environments. His poetic imagery captures birds adapting to modern cityscapes, a visual symphony that has earned global acclaim for its originality and depth.

Chavali, a product management consultant in the tech industry, is known for his amazing talent in blending the raw beauty of nature with a dynamic pulse of the City to captivate the audience.

This year’s URBAN Animals contest drew an impressive 11,000 photographs, including 7,736 single images and 272 portfolios, highlighting the diverse and often overlooked presence of urban wildlife around the world.

The international jury of curators and photographers selected Chavali as the Best Author for his outstanding portfolio that stood out among thousands of submissions for its conceptual strength and emotional resonance.

The award was presented by Dario De Dominicis, an internationally acclaimed documentary photographer and educator based in Italy. Known for his deeply humanistic approach and long-term visual storytelling, De Dominicis has exhibited worldwide and served as a mentor and juror for numerous international photography contests. His presence at the ceremony added great prestige to the occasion, reflecting the festival’s commitment to artistic excellence and global dialogue in photography.

Receiving the award in person at the Trieste Photo Days Awards Ceremony in Italy, Chavali represented Canada among an elite gathering of global photographers and visual storytellers. The event featured exhibitions, talks, and cultural programs across the city, attracting artists, curators, and enthusiasts from more than 50 countries.

“It’s an honour to receive this award on an international stage,” said Chavali. “Through ‘Wings Over Concrete’, I wanted to show how life perseveres even in concrete jungles, each bird finding rhythm and grace amidst human structures. This award is a reminder that art and nature can coexist beautifully,” he explained.

For the record, Chavali also won the first prize in the 10th annual 35Awards Photography competition earlier this year. That contest drew 4.73 lakh submissions from about 1.12 lakh photographers across the world.