A LEAP ACROSS A man leaps over a stream on Mumbai's shoreline, caught mid-air in this 2013 photograph by Danish Siddiqui, a quiet, everyday moment along the Arabian Sea. A man jumps over a water stream on a beach along the Arabian Sea in Mumbai on September 2, 2013. September 2, 2013 | Mumbai, India Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #Mumbai #ArabianSea

"Practising journalism in the knowledge that it is public service is an important responsibility we should take seriously." Vaishna Roy, Jury, DSJA 2025.

ON THE FRONTLINE, AT DAWN Afghan Special Forces move into a rescue mission in Kandahar after a night of combat, photographed by Danish Siddiqui in 2021 during one of his final assignments. Afghan Special Forces, elite fighters operating on various frontlines across the country. Danish Siddiqui tagged along with these young men for several missions. This is what happened in Kandahar as they carried out a rescue mission after spending the whole night on a combat mission. 2021 | Afghanistan Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #Afghanistan #Conflict

"If closeness to government is the basis to become an editor, then god cannot help this profession." Sanjoy Majumdar, Panelist, DSJA 2025.

REACHING FOR RELIEF Hundreds of hands rise toward a single bottle of aid at Balukhali camp in Cox's Bazar, a frame from Danish Siddiqui's 2017 Rohingya refugee crisis coverage that later won a Pulitzer Prize. Rohingya refugees stretch their hands to receive aid distributed by local organisations at Balukhali makeshift refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, September 14, 2017. September 14, 2017 | Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #RohingyaRefugees #Bangladesh

"Journalism today is very noisy. What's required is quieter journalism, stories that allow us to reflect and think." Prof. Sabeena Gadihoke, Jury, DSJA 2026.

A CITY IN DISSENT Inside a Hong Kong shopping centre, police detain a protester during the 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations, a moment Danish Siddiqui captured as the movement spread into everyday public spaces. Police officers detain a protester during a demonstration inside a shopping centre. 2019 | Hong Kong Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #HongKong #Protests

"Without independent, adversarial journalism, a society is dead. Democracy will be dead." Josy Joseph, Jury, DSJA 2026.

LIFE OF SADHUS At his camp ahead of a Kumbh Mela procession, a Naga sadhu applies ash in quiet preparation. Danish Siddiqui photographed the ritual in Trimbakeshwar in 2015. A Naga sadhu, or a Hindu holy man, applies ash at his camp before a procession during Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival in Trimbakeshwar, India, August 27, 2015. August 27, 2015 | Trimbakeshwar, India Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #KumbhMela #India

"Stringers often don't get the recognition they deserve for the incredible and dangerous work they do." Claire Thomas, Photojournalist.

UNDER FIRE, ON WATCH At a forward base in Afghanistan, Danish Siddiqui photographed soldiers responding in real time as their outpost came under Taliban fire. Made in 2012, the photograph was part of his wider coverage of the conflict. 2012 | Afghanistan Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #Afghanistan #Conflict

"Noise has replaced news. Sense has been replaced by sensationalism, chaos has replaced credibility." Rajdeep Sardesai, Jury Chair, DSJA 2025.

CAR PARTS TREASURE TROVE In a Mumbai workshop stacked with salvaged engines and parts, Danish Siddiqui found a frame that speaks to the vast, unseen economy of repair and reuse behind India's automobile industry. Abdul Samad, 13, carries a part of a used car engine inside an automobile workshop in Mumbai, India, on July 10, 2012. An Indian automobile industry body had slightly lowered its car sales growth forecast for the year ending next March, citing higher costs and slower economic expansion. 2012 | Mumbai, India Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #DocumentaryPhotography #Mumbai

"Restrictions being placed by non-state actors, beyond the rule of law, this is rather disturbing." Justice Madan B. Lokur, Chief Guest, DSJA 2026. #DanishSiddiquiFoundation #Journalists #PressFreedom #MediaMatters

THE MAGIC OF THE MOVIES Some photographs remind us that cinema is not only about what happens on the screen, but also about the people watching it. In 2012, Danish Siddiqui captured cinema-goers at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir watching Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, then celebrating its remarkable run of 770 weeks. Cinema goers watch the Bollywood movie "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" (The Big Hearted Will Take the Bride) at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai. The movie has set a record by completing 770 weeks of continuous screening at the cinema. 2012 | Mumbai, India Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #IndianCinema #Photojournalism #Mumbai

"Journalists who choose to inform rather than simply entertain are the ones who truly make up the pillar of the fourth estate." Suhasini Haidar, DSJA 2026 jury.

WHEN A MOVEMENT FINDS ITS VOICE Across India's hinterland, Maha Panchayats became gathering points for a farmers' movement that had drawn thousands together. Danish Siddiqui captured the extraordinary scale of the gathering at Bhainswal, Uttar Pradesh, in February 2021. Maha Panchayats or grand village council meetings in India’s hinterland are attracting thousands as part of farmers' protests against farm laws. Bhainswal, Uttar Pradesh. 05.02.21 Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #FarmersProtest #India

"The press has a role shining a light on injustice, but also on institutions that fail us." Dr. Raghuram Rajan, DSJA 2026. #DanishSiddiquiFoundation #Journalists #PressFreedom #MediaMatters

WHEN WAR BECOMES THE BACKDROP For a child, work should be part of an ordinary day. But in a place shaped by conflict, even ordinary moments unfold against the presence of war. A young Afghan boy works at a construction site as a U.S. Army soldier takes position nearby during a joint patrol. An Afghan boy works at a construction site as a U.S. Army soldier of 3/1 AD Task Force Bulldog takes position during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army (ANA) in a village in Kherwar district in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan, May 23, 2012. 23 May 2012 | Logar province, Afghanistan Through His Eyes The Danish Siddiqui Archive #ThroughHisEyes #DanishSiddiqui #Photojournalism #Afghanistan #Journalism

"It has been a slow drip, a slow diminishment." Anubha Bhosle, Founder, Newsworthy.Studio, on the decline of legacy media. #DanishSiddiquiFoundation #Journalists #PressFreedom #MediaMatters