Hyderabad-born Raghuvamsh Chavali wins Best Author Award at Trieste Photo Days 2025

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’, a powerful visual narrative capturing the coexistence of birds and urban landscapes

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 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 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 11,000 photographs, including 7,736 single images and 272 portfolios. The international jury of curators and photographers selected Chavali as the Best Author for his portfolio that stood out 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. “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.

Chavali had 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.