A photograph capturing a dramatic weather event in Morondava in Madagascar, Africa, taken by SC&I Communication, Information, and Media doctoral student Shravan Regret Iyer MCIS’18, has won the prestigious World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 2021 photo calendar competition and is featured as the cover image. 

Iyer is an award-winning photojournalist, filmmaker, and immersive AR, VR, and 360° storyteller documenting wildlife, wild places, and the human journey across the world. His photograph, titled “Rainy Season in Madagascar,” graces the cover of the United Nation’s WMO 2021 calendar: The Ocean, Our Climate, and Weather.

“Following the public voting on the 70 shortlisted photographs out of 1,100 entries around the world, a WMO jury of meteorologists and photographers selected 13 photos for the calendar (one per month, plus cover photo). The final selection was based on votes, photographic merit, and meteorological interest. The jury also took into account geographical and regional balance in accordance with WMO’s stature as a United Nations organization,” announced the WMO in its press release dated December 15, 2020.
 

“I am truly honored to have received this international award and I would like to thank all the faculty members at SC&I for your continuous support and encouragement,” said Iyer. He has worked as a research assistant for Teaching Professor of Communication and Information and Director of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies Mary Chayko and Professor of Journalism and Media Studies John Pavlik. 

The winning photographs feature worldwide locations including Madagascar, Sharr Mountains, North Macedonia; Port Macquarie, Australia; Klaksvik, Faroe Island, Denmark; Hong Kong; Losinj, Croatia; Sendai, Japan; Caronia, Trinidad and Tobago; Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica; Goyang, Republic of Korea; Burlington, Colorado, United States; Santiago, Chile; and Pag Island, Croatia. The will be featured in the U.N.’s World Meteorological Day 2021 celebrations, used among other U.N. agencies, and showcased during the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to be held from 2021-2030.

You can learn more about Iyer and see his work on his website.

Press by Times Group.  

Image: Courtesy of Shravan Regret Iyer MCIS’18