Samsung India has officially etched its name into the record books, and this time it is not about hardware sales or display technology. The brand has secured two titles from Guinness World Records following the overwhelming response to its India #WithGalaxy photography challenge for the Galaxy S Series.
The announcement was made in Gurugram on January 30, 2026, and it confirmed what many observers had already suspected. This was not just another branded contest. With thousands of participants and a distinctly national character, the campaign became the Largest Smartphone Photography Competition ever recorded. At the same time, it also set a second record for the Most Contributions to an Online Photo Sentence, a collaborative digital artwork created entirely from individual photo submissions.
Together, these two achievements underline how large scale participation, when combined with accessible technology, can turn into something culturally meaningful. It feels less like a marketing exercise and more like a shared documentation of everyday India.
Key Takeaways
- Global Records: Two Guinness World Records for the largest smartphone photography competition and the most contributions to an online photo sentence.
- Massive Participation: A total of 31,331 photographs submitted from across India.
- Celebrity Leadership: Jury headed by filmmaker Kabir Khan, supported by over 30 regional photographers.
- Core Themes: Faces of India, Sights of India, Spirit of India, and Colours of India.
- Flagship Focus: Entries were exclusive to the Galaxy S Series, highlighting its photography evolution since 2010.
A massive display of digital storytelling
The India #WithGalaxy campaign ran from December 30, 2025, to January 26, 2026. Over this period, Galaxy S Series users were invited to capture real moments from their daily lives, without heavy staging or artificial themes. By the time the submission window closed, more than 31,000 entries had been logged, forming a sprawling visual mosaic of the country.
What stands out, at least to me, is how the final output functions as a kind of digital tapestry. Each photo is individual, sometimes imperfect, sometimes deeply personal. Yet when viewed together, they create a surprisingly cohesive portrait of India’s diversity. It quietly demonstrates how smartphone cameras have shifted from being tools of convenience to instruments of storytelling.
During the certification ceremony, Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President of the MX Business at Samsung India, received the official Guinness certificates from Swapnil Dangarikar, Senior Adjudicator at Guinness World Records. Pullan spoke about the intent behind the campaign, noting that it was designed to amplify consumer voices and reflect the spirit of the nation through their own lenses. The balance between technological capability and cultural expression felt intentional, not forced.
Capturing the four pillars of India
To bring structure to such a large volume of content, Samsung divided the competition into four themes. This helped ensure variety while still maintaining focus.
Faces of India centered on portraits. These images highlighted expressions, occupations, and everyday emotions that, taken together, felt quietly powerful. Sights of India leaned toward landscapes and architecture, spanning everything from Himalayan vistas to coastal stretches and historic monuments.
The Spirit of India category perhaps carried the most emotional weight. It focused on candid moments that reflected resilience, unity, and routine life. Finally, Colours of India celebrated texture and detail, whether through food, festivals, fabrics, or regional attire. The thematic approach also allowed the jury, led by Kabir Khan, to evaluate submissions with cultural context in mind, which matters more than it might seem at first glance.
Rewards for the winners
While the Guinness records were collective achievements, Samsung also made sure individual talent did not go unnoticed. Two Grand Winners received cash prizes of Rs 1,50,000 each. Category Winners were awarded Rs 65,000, and 29 Regional Winners took home Rs 15,000 each.
Judging criteria included creativity, technical quality, and how effectively the image reflected its chosen theme. According to Samsung, the winning photographs are expected to be showcased nationally in February 2026. That public recognition, arguably, may mean just as much to participants as the prize money itself.
Related FAQs
Q1: Which phones were eligible for the #WithGalaxy challenge?
A1: The competition was open exclusively to users of the Samsung Galaxy S Series. This included older models as well as the latest flagships like the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Q2: How many photos were submitted in total?
A2: A total of 31,331 original photographs were submitted by participants from across India during the campaign period.
Q3: Who judged the photography competition?
A3: The jury was led by filmmaker Kabir Khan and supported by more than 30 regional photographers. This approach helped ensure that cultural nuances from different parts of the country were fairly understood and evaluated.
