Bangladeshi wins international photography award in Italy
Pinu Rahman earns top honor at Creative Photo Awards and recognition at Siena International Photo Awards, competing among entries from 163 countries
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman has received two international photography honors in Italy, winning a category award at the Creative Photo Awards 2026 and earning recognition at the Siena International Photo Awards for his work documenting people and their surroundings.
Rahman received the Pangea Prize in the People category for his photograph The Golden Burden, while another of his works, Bad Morning in a Burned Valley, earned a Highly Commended distinction in the Documentary & Photojournalism category.
The awards were presented Oct. 10 at Teatro dei Rinnovati, a historic theater in the Italian city of Siena, according to The Daily Star.
The recognition came during the 12th edition of the Siena Awards, an international photography event that brings together photographers from around the world to showcase work across artistic, documentary and aerial photography.
Organizers said this year’s three competitions attracted more than 40,000 photographic entries from 163 countries, highlighting the international scale of the event.
The Siena Awards comprise three separate competitions: the Siena International Photo Awards, which recognizes photography across several genres; the Creative Photo Awards, which emphasizes artistic expression and visual creativity; and the Drone Photo Awards, dedicated to aerial photography.
Rahman’s Pangea Prize recognizes his achievement in the People category of the Creative Photo Awards, while his second distinction acknowledges his documentary photography at the Siena International Photo Awards.
Following the ceremony, Rahman expressed pride in representing Bangladesh at an international event and receiving recognition in two different photographic categories.
He said the awards had strengthened his determination to continue exploring visual storytelling through photography.
Rahman began pursuing photography in 2012 and has developed a body of work centered on human experiences, social life, travel and documentary subjects.
Earlier this year, he was named Bangladesh’s National Winner at the Sony World Photography Awards 2026, adding another international distinction to his career.
His photographs have also been published by media organizations in Bangladesh and internationally.
Meanwhile, Italian photographer Stefano Rosselli received the Photographer of the Year title at the Siena International Photo Awards 2026 for Amina, a photograph taken in Afghanistan.
The Siena Awards festival, which opened October 10, will continue through November 29, featuring exhibitions at venues across Siena and neighboring areas.
Award-winning photographs, including works recognized during this year’s competitions, will be presented at the exhibition People Sharing All the World.
Selected images will also appear in Beyond the Lens, a bilingual photobook series documenting the competition’s recognized photography.
For Rahman, the two distinctions mark another milestone in a career spanning more than a decade, bringing further international visibility to Bangladeshi photography.
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