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A striking photo of a Maasai man playing cricket on the plains of Doldol, Kenya is the winning image of the . Selected from more than 300 entries, the photo, titled ‘’, was shot by Amunga Eshuchi of Kenya.

Mr Eshuchi was awarded £1,000 as grand prize winner and regional winner for Africa. His photo will be displayed alongside an impressive line-up of powerful images from regional winners and finalists at an exhibition at Commonwealth headquarters in London throughout 2016. All winning photographs will also feature in a new Commonwealth calendar for 2017.

The competition, set up this year, is designed to encourage people to capture the rich diversity of the 53 Commonwealth countries. Entrants were asked to describe how their photo represented this year’s Commonwealth theme, ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth’.

The description for Eschuchi’s photo read: “No sport tells of our collective history like cricket. It’s a sport taught in every land that Her Majesty's Royal Fleet landed. Even in the dusty plains of Doldol, Kenya. Maasai warriors have learnt the game and now travel the world playing in their traditional regalia. So cricket is used, not just to promote community through sport but also to use that platform to raise awareness on social issues from their community, growing a more inclusive, knowledgeable Commonwealth.”

Photos were shortlisted by an internal panel of judges on 28 April and scored against relevance to the theme, composition, subject matter, focus, skill and originality. The shortlisted photos were judged according to the same criteria by two acclaimed professional photographers on 3 May.  

Full list of award winners

Commonwealth Photographer of the Year 2016 and Regional Award Winner for Africa

winner announced! Congratulations ! Read press release:

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec)

Regional Award Winner for Asia

Congratulations to our regional winner Sudipto Das
of :

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec)

Regional Award Winner for Caribbean and the Americas

Congrats to & regional winner Rachel Barr of :

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec)

Regional Award Winner for Europe

Congrats to regional winner Ian Gerald of :

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec)

Regional Award Winner for Pacific

Congrats to regional winner Alistairs Dirua of :

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec)

Highly Commended Award for most ‘likes’ on Instagram

Congrats to Highly Commended winner Kevin Mutonga of :

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec)

About the Commonwealth Photography Competition

Launched on Commonwealth Day, 14 March 2016, the Commonwealth Photography Competition ran for six weeks and received over 300 approved entries.

We look forward to receiving entries for the Commonwealth Photography Competition 2017. Look out for updates on our .

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