Rashid Talukder (Bangladesh), Sumit Dayal (Kashmir) and Tomás Munita (Chile)

National Geographic, All Roads Photography Awards

The powerful images and stories in this exhibition reveal each awarded photographer’s unique perspective about his changing world, documenting experiences from the past or present day complexities. The photography program is dedicated to providing a platform for indigenous and under represented minority-culture storytellers from around the world to showcase their works in film and photography to promote knowledge, dialogue, and understanding with a broader, global audience.

Rashid Talukder (Bangladesh), Pioneer Photography Award Photo-essay "The 1971 Liberation War"

"As a Bangladeshi, I consider myself lucky to have witnessed the most crucial period of our country’s history: the 1971 Liberation War. I never hesitated to put myself at risk in order to capture the moments of our country’s journey towards independence."

Tomás Munita (Chile), Mid-career Photography Award Photo-essay "Lost Harvest-The Death of Loa River"
"The Loa River goes through the core of the driest desert on Earth, Chile’s Atacama. With the start of mining operations in the Atacama Desert, the struggle for water began. …Today’s rush is for copper, Chile’s chief export. …Since the creation of a new water code, many farmers have been lured to sell their water to mining industries, resulting in the end of local agriculture. In the past 15 years, two episodes of tail-pool flooding delivered deadly pollution to the Loa River and thus the town most affected: the driest town on Earth, the oasis of Quillagua."

Sumit Dayal (Kashmir), Emerging Photographer Award Photo-essay "On Going Home"

"The vale of Kashmir is a low-lying fertile Himalayan valley fed by many rivers. … The nuclear capabilities of both India and Pakistan have earned this disputed strip of land the tag of one of the world’s most dangerous places. There is a sea of stories of atrocities, disappeared persons, abductions, unidentified graves, killings, and mass migration of minority communities. I feel the need to unfold my past and be able to associate with the culture and history of my ancestors. I hope that On Going Home will lead me in the direction of finding my true identity."