GMB Akash (Bengali: জি এম বি আকাশ) is a Bangladeshi documentary photographer. He has received more than 80 international awards and his work has been featured in over 70 major international publications.
Akash works as a photographer for Panos Pictures, UK, and founded the First Light Institute of Photography in Narayanganj, Bangladesh in August, 2013.
His work has been featured in The Guardian, the London Sunday Telegraph, National Geographic, Vogue, The Sunday Times, Newsweek, Geo, Stern, Der Spiegel, The Fader, Brand Ein, Marie Claire, Colors, The Economist, The New Internationalist, Kontinente, Amnesty Journal, Courier International, PDN, Die Zeit, Days Japan and Hello.
Solo exhibitions
Solo exhibition / book launch: First Light at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2006
“My Country, My People" at the Evangelische Stadtkirche Offenburg organized by the Evangelische Stadtkirchengemeinde, Pfarrer Peter Scherhans. Offenburg, Germany, 2007
"Dhaka- Hamburg" at the Town Hall Gallery. Hamburg, Germany, 2007
"The People from the Edge of the World" at the Town Hall Gallery. Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, 2007
"The Children from the Edge of the World" at the Hanes-Office. Brussels, Belgium, 2007
"Living on the Fringe" at the Der Spiegel Magazine Gallery. Hamburg, Germany, 2007
"Made in Bangladesh" in the Gallery of "Anti War House" in Sievershausen, Germany, 2007
Exhibition in the Press House of the Government. Berlin, Germany, 2007
Photo presentation "Bangladesh” on the Cap San Diego ship. In collaboration with Amnesty International. Hamburg, Germany, 2007
Photo presentation "Dangerous Photos" in the auditorium of the Gruner+Jahr Publishing House. In collaboration with GEO and Stern magazines. Germany, 2007
Photo presentation "Living on the Edge" in the auditorium of the Bonn University. In collaboration with Orient Asia. Bonn, Germany, 2007
"Made in Bangladesh" in the Regional Court Building, Baden Baden. In collaboration with the Justice Ministry, Germany, 2007
"Living on the Edge of Society"; the Gallery Kunstraum. Potsdam, Berlin, Germany, 2007
Photo presentation in FREELENS annual meetings 2007 at the Museum for Work. Hamburg, Germany, 2007
Charleston Center for Photography, South Carolina, US, 2009
"The Voice of the True Survivors" at the HAT's Photo Art Gallery in Alessandria, Italy, 2009
Survivors at Alliance Française de Dhaka, 2009; Shanghai International Photo Festival, China, 2010; Galleria di Porta Pepice, Matera, Italy, 2010; The Portuguese center of Photography, Porto, Portugal, 2011; Anastasia Gallery, US, 2012; Lugano Photo Festival, Lugano, Switzerland, 2013
Soulscapes at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2010; Alliance Française de Chittagong, Bangladesh, 2010
"Born to work", The images festival in Vevey, Switzerland, 2010
“Freedom to Create”, Cape Town, South Africa, 2011
My Mapless world, Art-Buvette APCd Gallery, Fribourg, Switzerland, 2013
Laos - A rural perspective at T'shop Lai Gallery, Organized by IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) Vientiane, Laos, 2013
"Water: Desert and Monsoon" with Gaetano Plasmati at Galleria di Porta Pepice, Matera, Italy, 2013
Awards
1997, Special award from 20th Photo contest in Asia and Pacific cultural center for UNESCO (ACCU) Japan
1999, Excellence from 23rd Photo contest in Asia and Pacific cultural center for UNESCO (ACCU) Japan
2000, Certificate of Merit from India International Print Circuit (IIPC)
2000, Photographer of the Year, Aalock Group of Photographers, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2002, Special award from international Asahi Shimbun photo contest, Japan
2002, Humanity photo Award, China
2002, third place, Press Foundation of Asia, Bangladesh Chapter, photo contest
2002, World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass, the Netherlands
2004, International Asahi Shimbun photo contest, Japan
2004, Young Reporters Award, The Scope Photo Festival in Paris
2004, First and second Place in Photojournalism section from Popular Photography magazine annual photo contest, US
2004, World congress Photo contest, Oslo
2005, 3rd and 4th place, Photographer's forum magazine annual contest, US
2005, "Best of Show" award from the Center for Fine Art Photography, Colorado, US
2005, 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th place from WHO (World Health Organization) photo contest 2005
2005, Silver Medal from China international Press Photo Contest 2005 in their Daily life photo story category.
2006, First place (total five prizes) from the Friends of the Earth photo contest, The Netherlands
2006, World Press Photo award, The Netherlands
2006, Golden Award from Asia Press photo Contest, China
2006, First place, Photographer's Forum magazine Annual photo contest, US
2006, Finalist of Gordon Parks annual Photo Contest, US
2006, Second place from the Gallery Art and Design annual photo contest, US
2006, American Graphic Design award, 2006
2006, Bronze and Honorable mention Award from China International Press photo contest, China
2007, Third place from Days Japan international photography contest, Japan
2007, Forth and Honorable mention from Photographer's Forum magazine Annual photo contest, US
2007, Golden award from Asia Press Photo Contest, China
2007, UNICEF Photos of the Year, 2nd place.
2009, Travel Photographer of the Year winner
2010, CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year, Quality of Life winner
2014, one of ten finalists in Lugano Photo Days contest, Switzerland
