Two SL Photojournalists receive international recognition

Two Sri Lankan photojournalists have received international recognition after being nominated for two prestigious awards.

Photojournalists Eranga Jayawardena and Ishara Kodikara have been recognized for their coverage of Sri Lanka’s ‘Aragalaya’ people’s movement in 2022.

Sri Lankan Photo Journalist of The Associated Press (AP) Eranga Jayawardena made history in Sri Lanka’s journalism field by being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious award in the world of journalism.

Eranga and his AP colleague Mumbai-based photojournalist Rafeeq Maqbool were nominated in the Breaking News category for their coverage of Sri Lanka’s ‘Aragalaya’.

Eranga Jayawardena has worked as a photojournalist and covered the photography of nature, socio-political events and entertainment for over 20 years.

He joined The Associated Press in 2002 and has been responsible for covering stories in Sri Lanka and the Maldives as well.

Meanwhile, Ishara Kodikara, an AFP photojournalist in Sri Lanka has won recognition at the Human Rights Press Awards 2023.

Ishara Kodikara won an honourable mention in the “photography series” category of the awards organized by the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Arizona State University and the Reynolds Centre for Business Journalism.

Ishara joined AFP in 2008 and is attached to its Colombo bureau. He has also photographed political upheavals in the Maldives and the 2015 earthquake in Nepal in addition to covering international cricket tournaments in Sri Lanka and abroad.