The National Forum of Photojournalists (NFPJ Nepal) has announced the top five nominees for the “National Photojournalism Award 2025.” The names were revealed at an event held in Kathmandu on Wednesday, April 23, covering five finalists in each of the eight categories.

This year’s awards will be presented in eight categories: Daily Life, Sports, Women, Tourism & Culture, Economics, Politics, Entertainment, and Independent & Overall. Additionally, regional-level awards will be presented to photojournalists from all seven provinces.

Announcing the awards last month, the NFPJ Nepal had called for applications.

Category-wise Top Five Nominees:

- Nepal Telecom Daily Life Photojournalism Award: Hari Maharjan, Skanda Gautam, Dipendra Dhungana, Abhishek Maharjan, and Bijen Amatya. 
 
- Panchakanya Group Women Photojournalism Award: Devika Bista, Kabita Thapa, Menuka Karki, Ramita Chhundu, and Shakuntala Rana.
  
- SuryaJyoti Life Insurance Political Photojournalism Award: Anish Regmi, Chandra Bahadur Ale, Dipendra Dhungana, Gopal Dahal, and Skanda Gautam.  

- DishHome Internet Sports Photojournalism Award: Udipta Singh Kshetri, Saphal KC, Sajan Lamichhane, Saroj Nepal, and Saurabh KC.  

- Agricultural Development Bank Independent Photojournalism Award: Ajay Lensman, Dilip Vaidya, Shankar Bhujel, Rajiv Hengaju, and Tek Bahadur Khadka.
  
- Adventure Outdoor Tourism and Culture Photojournalism Award: Ambir Tolang, Amit Machamasi, Hari Maharjan, Manoj Ratna Shahi, and Sushil Shrestha.  

- Rastriya Banijya Bank Entertainment Photojournalism Award: Skanda Gautam, Saroj Rai, Sagar Basnet, Prem Thapa, and Abhishek Maharjan.  

- Global IME Bank Economic Photojournalism Award: Dipendra Dhungana, Ambir Tolang, Chandra Bahadur Ale, Skanda Gautam, and Abhishek Maharjan.  

Province-level Top Five Nominees:

- Gurkhas Finance Koshi Province Award: Arjun Kulung Rai, Guru Dhakal, Netra Bimali, Sharad Joshi, and Sujan Bajracharya.
  
- Madhesh Province Award: Armendra Kumar Yadav, Chandradev Sah, Diwakar Bhandari, Ram Sarraf, and Tiwari Yadav.  

- Lalitpur Metropolitan Bagmati Province Award: Amardeep Shrestha, Ganesh Bista, Milan Ghimire, Navin Paudel, and Uddhav Kumar Shrestha.  

- Gandaki Province Award: Bishnu Gautam, Khim Lamichhane, Kiran Acharya, Prem Thapa, and Sagar Giri.  

- Lumbini Province Award: Janu Pandey, Khag Prasad Chapagai, Madhav Prasad Aryal, Manish Aryal, and Raj Adhikari.  

- Royal Enfield Karnali Province Award: Amarraj Pun, Amrit Kumar Budhathoki, Bal Bahadur Oli, Bharat Gharti, and Kabiraj Karki.  

- Sudurpaschim Province Award: Bhupendra Oli, Binod Bista, Khadka Rawal, Lokesh Saud, and Madhav Awasthi.  

Award Selection Committee:

The selection committee is chaired by Pradeep Raj Onta, with jury members including Shailendra Kharel (Senior Photojournalist), Surya Thapaliya (Senior Manager, Nepal Tourism Board), Magendra Prakash Giri (Branding & Communication Head, SuryaJyoti Life Insurance), Saurganga Darshandhari (Head of Architecture & Creative Arts Department, Nepal Academy), and Manoj Dahal (Deputy Editor, Desh Sanchar).  

Coordinator Onta stated that the nominations were based on applications received from photojournalists across the country and their contributions to journalism.

Final Announcement:

The final award ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 26 at 2 PM at Hotel Himalayan in Kupondole, Lalitpur. Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire will attend as the chief guest.

On the same occasion, a “Lifetime Achievement Award” will be presented to a retired photojournalist who has made significant contributions to the field. NFPJ General Secretary Ghanshyam Shrestha said the honor is a recognition of photojournalists' dedication, hard work, and professional contributions.