5 September 2013: The overall winner and a number of other awards have been announced for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s (UNCCD) third photo contest. The winner, who will receive a cash award in addition to a trip to the upcoming UNCCD Conference of the Parties, is Sudipto Das (India) for a photo titled, ‘Sand being scooped out of a silted riverbed.’

The first runner up and third place winners, who will receive cash awards, are Subodh Naatu (India) and Somenath Mukhopadhyay (India), respectively, for their photos titled ‘Island farming’ and ‘A laborer in a red soil excavation site.’ Additional awards were announced for the ‘People’s Choice,’ winner from Namibia and for a special mention category for each region.

The photo contest was organized in the lead up to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the UNCCD, which will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from 16-27 September. The UNCCD Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Trade, Namibia, and with the sponsorship of ENTICO Corporation, UK, organized the contest. [UNCCD Photo Contest Award Winners][UNCCD Photo Contest Entries]