Bengaluru, September 15, 2026: The Association of People with Disability (APD) has announced the launch of AS i AM – a photography and videography movement challenging how disability is portrayed in India’s visual culture.
India is home to over 50 million people with disabilities. Yet in mainstream media and advertising, they remain largely invisible, and when they do appear, it is almost always through the lens of pity or inspiration. AS i AM exists to change that. The challenge invites photographers, videographers, and visual storytellers across India to document the honest, ordinary, joyful realities of people living with disability, building a permanent visual repository that changes what India sees.
Submissions are open till midnight on October 31, 2026. Winners will be announced on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on December 3, 2026. Prizes may be won across three categories – Best Entry, Best Emerging Storyteller, and Best Photographer with a Disability. Winners receive generous prizes in cash and kind, one-on-one mentorship sessions with jury members, entry into a permanent global stock image library with royalties in perpetuity, placement in a landmark public exhibition, national media features, and a formal APD certification as a Certified Disability-Sensitive Visual Storyteller.
AS i AM is backed by a distinguished jury including filmmaker and screenwriter R. Balki, cinematographer Santosh Sivan, BBDO India Chairman and CCO Josy Paul, Nirvana Films founder Sneha Iype, Indian para-badminton champion Manasi Joshi, filmmaker and visual artist Ishaan Nair, Know Disability founder Mohit Ahuja, and Indian School of Public Policy co-founder Luis Miranda.
A growing cadre of organisations and brands have signed on to support the campaign, amplify its reach, and extend it through their own networks. Tanishq from Titan Company (Lead Sponsor) and the Azim Premji Foundation have joined as anchor supporters of the campaign.
“At Tanishq, we have always believed that every individual carries a story worth celebrating. AS i AM resonates deeply with that belief – it is a movement that goes beyond imagery to assert that the lives of people with disabilities are rich, layered, and deserving of the same spotlight as anyone else. We are proud to support an initiative that has the courage to change the conversation and the vision to make that change last,” said Pelki Tshering, Chief Marketing Officer, Tanishq.
“Disability has always been a part of the human story, but rarely has it been told on its own terms. AS i AM is our call to each visual storyteller in India to change that; whether you live with a disability or not, your lens and your perspective have a place in this movement. Pick up your camera, find your subject, and help us show the world what has always been there but never fully seen,” says Jacob Kurian, The Association of People with Disability (APD).
“People with disabilities lead full, ordinary lives, but you wouldn’t know that from the images you see every day. AS i AM is changing that, and it’s long overdue. I’m proud to be associated with a movement that is giving visual storytellers across India the platform to finally get this right,” said Manasi Joshi, Para Badminton Champion and Jury Member, AS i AM.