TBT DESK

Bangladesh’s first National Street Photo Festival will open on 20 November at Alliance Française de Dhaka, showcasing photographs selected from more than 2,700 submissions by student photographers across the country.

Organised by the Alliance of Photographers (AOP), the four-day festival received 2,721 photographs from approximately 700 students representing 52 universities and colleges. The open call for submissions was launched in mid-August.

The festival aims to create a national platform for emerging photographers, encouraging visual storytelling, artistic exchange and the documentation of everyday life through street photography.

The first, second and third prize winners, along with 10 honourable mentions, will be announced at the opening ceremony on 20 November. The award recipients will receive their prizes at the closing ceremony on 24 November.

The festival will also pay tribute to French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose concept of the “Decisive Moment” and pioneering approach to candid photography helped shape modern street photography.

Marking 200 years of photography, the tribute will connect the work of emerging Bangladeshi photographers with the medium’s international heritage.

The exhibition will remain open to visitors at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, until 24 November.