Kathmandu: Nepali photojournalist Prabin Ranabhat has won the Gold award in the Best in Climate Photography category at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards 2025. The ceremony was held in Singapore in November, and the award was presented to him by Philippe Alfroy, AFP’s South Asia Director, in the presence of the AFP Nepal team.
The award recognized Ranabhat’s photograph documenting the devastating monsoon floods and landslides in Nepal in September 2024, which claimed over 209 lives.
Earlier, his photo of the Burning Singha Durbar was also selected in TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Photos of 2025.
Speaking about his work, Ranabhat said, “As a photojournalist, I see myself as a mediator between affected communities and the government. On the first day of the flood, major news houses were focused on Kathmandu Valley, but when I learned about the situation in Roshi, I felt responsible to witness and document the ground reality.”
He added, “When I reached there, I saw dozens of houses collapsed with people sheltered in huts. No media coverage had been done, and no government relief had reached the area. My motivation was to show the truth and give a voice to the people. After navigating the dangerous conditions, I was happy to bring images from the affected areas to light for the government and relief organizations.”
