A 15-year-old Kenyan has gained global recognition after his photo of the Great Wildebeest Migration at the Masai Mara was ranked as the best in the 2023 Travel Photographer of the Year Awards.
The awards featured over 20,000 photos taken from 150 countries, where global citizens were granted the chance to vote for the best photo in the People's Choice Awards category.
Rohan Neel Shah, a 10th-grade student residing in Nairobi, submitted a photo showing a lone wildebeest in the middle of the migration.
The photo also depicted the wildebeest in static form as other wildebeests rushed to cross the river.
The Wildebeest Migration serves as one of the major annual tourist attractions in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
Shah received the majority of votes, beating other seasoned photographers from across the globe.
Commenting after being feted, the teenager expressed his fulfillment at having the privilege of residing in a country where nature and wildlife are part of everyday life.
"The beauty of Kenya, the diverse wildlife, and the ever-changing need for conservation have always inspired him; my parents have taken me to national parks regularly since I was two years old, so I have always had a profound love and passion for nature," he noted.
His journey in photography began after he was inspired by world-renowned Canadian photographer Jeffrey Wu's art.
"I hope to be an inspiration to other youth photographers to spend more time in nature and help in conservation for the future generations to also enjoy what we have and more."
Other arts that were ranked among the best include; landscapes of the Italian countryside, striking portraits in Pakistan, and Russia to the sloppy hills in the Czech Republic.
A photo submitted by another teenager, US-based Caden Shepard, also emerged among the top ten photos in the past year. The snapshot captured sheep walking through a dust cloud formed by their hooves.
The photo, captured in black and white, showed two dogs trailing behind as the sheep returned to their pen.
