Creative Hut Academy awards
18 world records,48 festival wins and selections
The Creative Hut Academy awards on this page cover its world records, its press rankings, and awards and honours for the academy and its founder. They also cover the festival wins and selections of its feature film and student films, at Indian and international festivals. Creative Hut is a residential photography Gurukul in Kerala, teaching since 2007.
Creative Hut students and director Abin Alex receive an award on stage.
The record vault
Creative Hut Academy awards and records
Laid out the way a photographer reviews a shoot. One frame per certificate, marked up like a contact sheet.
01
Gurukul
Asian World Records
02
Gurukul
Champions Book of World Records
03
Gurukul
Supreme World Records
04
Calendar
Limca Book of Records
05
Calendar
National Book of Records
06
Calendar
World Records India
07
Calendar
India Book of Records
08
Calendar
Asia Book of Records
09
Calendar
Record Holders Book of Record
10
Calendar
Miracle World Records
11
Wheel
Indian Achiever Book of Records
12
Wheel
India Book of Records
13
Wheel
Limca Book of Records
14
Wheel
National Book of Records
15
Wheel
Asia Book of Records
16
Wheel
Miracle World Records
17
Game
India Book of Records
18
Game
Limca Book of Records
Creative Hut Academy, record archive
2007 to 2026
Ranked by the press
Ranked by the press, and often first
Independent education publishers rank Indian photography colleges every year. Here is where Creative Hut Academy landed.
04
Top Photography Colleges and Institutes in India
Fourth position
Samaro
2026
02
Top 10 Best Colleges for Photography in India
Second position
Parwez K Photography
2024
01
The Splendid Photography and Cinematography Colleges in India
College of the year, first position
The Knowledge Review
2023
01
10 Best Photography Colleges in Kerala
Listed first
What After College
2023
01
Top 10 Photography Colleges in India
Listed first
Career Guide
2023
01
Top 10 Photography Colleges in India
Listed first
CollegeDunia
2023
01
Best 11 Colleges for Photography Courses in India
Listed first
Courses Xpert
2022
01
Top 6 Photography Colleges in India
Listed first
Career Guide
2022
02
Top 10 Colleges for Photography Courses in India
Second position
Shiksha
2022
01
10 Best Training and Placement Institutions in India
Listed first
Education Brainiac
2020
01
Most Promising Media and Mass Communication College in India
Top of list
The Higher Education Review
2019
01
Top Photography College and Best Photography Course in India
Top of list
EduGorilla
2019
Rising Embers
Rising Embers, festival by festival
Directed by Abin Alex, Rising Embers has won festival awards and earned nominations, finalist places and official selections.
Winner
7th RIFF Roshani International Film Festival
2026
Winner
International Tagore Film Awards
2026
Winner
Switzerland International Film Awards
2026
Winner
Singapore Lion International Film Festival
2026
Winner
Direct Monthly Online Film Festival
2026
Nominee
Cannes World Film Festival
2026
Finalist
World AI Cinema Festival
2026
Official selection
Open Film Zone, OFZ Founding Creator
2026
Official selection
MORPHÉ Film Festival
2026
Featured alumni
Our students win, and the festivals say so
Alumni of the Gurukul, awarded at national and international festivals and at television awards. Each record below is complete.
Cinematographer
Gessal Sebastian
2026
Best Cinematographer, Asianet Television Awards, for Mazhathorum Moombe
2025
Best Cinematographer, Media City Television Award
2025
Prem Nazir Suhruthu Samathi Award, for contribution to visual craft
Documentary director
Agrah S Deth
2
wins
4
selections
2025
Best Non-Fiction Documentary, Vadodara Film & Design Festival (VFDF)
2025
Panasian Film Festival
2025
National Documentary Short Film Festival
2025
Indo Independent Film Festival
2026
Almamoura Festival
2027
MORPHÉ Film Festival
Documentary director
John Thomas
3
selections
2025
National Documentary Short Film Festival, 11th edition
2026
Almamoura Festival
2027
MORPHÉ Film Festival
Documentary director
Ajay Narayanan K
3
selections
2026
18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, Campus Films
2026
Almamoura Festival
2027
MORPHÉ Film Festival
Student films
Student films at festivals
Documentaries and short films made by Creative Hut students, awarded and selected at festivals. Each title links to its page in Student work.
Water Flows, But... Not for All
Abel Benjamin Samuel
Selection
Almamoura Festival
2026
Selection
MORPHÉ Film Festival
2027
Urayal | Art or God?
Bomma Saichand Goud and Alka Mohan
Selection
Almamoura Festival
2026
Selection
MORPHÉ Film Festival
2027
Verified. My India. My Vote.
Directed by Abin Alex, cinematography by Patil Jyotiraditya Chandrashekhar, Manchala Karthik Vineel Kumar and Nandhana P B
Selection
Almamoura Festival
2026
Selection
MORPHÉ Film Festival
2027
Pancha Gramalu
Sesetty Shanmukh Sri Uday Mani
Selection
Almamoura Festival
2026
Selection
MORPHÉ Film Festival
2027
Damascus Call
Directed by Abin Alex, cinematography by Patil Jyotiraditya Chandrashekhar
Selection
Tyrannus Angel Awards × LA AI Film Summit
2026
The recognition ledger
Creative Hut Academy awards, year by year
Every honour given to Creative Hut Academy and to its founder, in order, from the first Canon mentorship in 2013 to the present.
Honoured at the 41st ABVP Kerala State Assembly
Kottayam
Presented by Dr Vaisakh Sadasivan
Best Private Haritha Institution
Akalakunnam Grama Panchayat
Presented by Jose K. Mani, Chairman, Kerala Congress (M) and Rajya Sabha MP
Honoured for directing the parish documentary
St Antony's Church, Paduva
Presented by Fr. Olayathil Thomas
Honoured for documenting Ente Keralam, Kottayam
The district exhibition and rally marking the ninth year of the Chief Minister and the fourth anniversary of the second LDF government
Presented by John V. Samuel IAS
Best Private Haritha Institution
Akalakunnam Grama Panchayat
Presented by Chandy Oommen, MLA, Puthuppally
Innovative Skill Education Service Excellence Award
Business Insight, Entrepreneurship Excellence Summit, Hotel SP Grand Days, Thiruvananthapuram, 7 June 2023
Presented by Rishiraj Singh IPS, retired Director General of Police, Kerala
Best Institute for Innovation in Skill Development
9th Annual Skill Development Awards
Quality Excellence Award, Best Photography College in India
National Quality Excellence Awards
Most Admired Photographer
Entrepreneurs Council of India, at the Indian Business Congress
Indian Star Best Photo Mentor, SMF
Awarded to the photography mentor and Director
Commendation Certificate, curriculum development
Technical Education Department of Kerala, State Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research
Indian Star Best Emerging Photography Educational Institute
Awarded to the institution
Vidya Shiromani Educational Excellence Award
Score More Foundation
Honorary Doctorate for World Records in Photography
World Record University, 16 March 2015
Excellence in Education
Career Options, 3rd Higher Education Summit, New Delhi
Visionary Leader Award for Excellence in Education
Awarded to the Principal and photo mentor
Canon India Photo Mentor
Held the mentorship for eight consecutive years
The archive
Exhibitions, workshops and juries
Work outside the campus, filed in one place. Filter by kind.
Showing all entries
Exhibition
TWIST 2014
Lalithakala Akademi, Thrissur. Inaugurated by Rev. Fr. Vargheese Paathadan
Jul 2014
Exhibition
Chayachitra 2013
Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, Kottayam. Inaugurated by P. N. Krishnankutty Nair
Jun 2013
Exhibition
International Photography Festival, IPF 2011
Sanskar Kendra, Paldi. Inaugurated by Kajal Oza Vaidya
Aug 2011
Exhibition
Photo Video Fair
Gujarat University Exhibition Centre, Ahmedabad
Aug 2011
Exhibition
Anayas Art Gallery
Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Inaugurated by RJ Raj, All India Radio
Aug 2010
Exhibition
Sanskriti 2010, with the Vintage Camera Exhibition
Ravishankar Rawal Kala Bhavan, Ahmedabad. Inaugurated by Pranlal Patel
Oct 2010
Exhibition
First Creative Hut photography exhibition
Orchid Mall, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
2009
Workshop
Infosys, Trivandrum
Photography workshop
Apr 2017
Workshop
Pathanamthitta, for professionals
Photography workshop
Aug 2017
Workshop
Wipro, Ernakulam
Photography workshop
Aug 2016
Workshop
Canon Master Class, Ernakulam
Portrait photography and lighting
Dec 2015
Workshop
KPVU CITU, Hotel Wyte Portico, Pathanamthitta
Videography workshop
2015
Workshop
St. Thomas College, Palai
Photography workshop
2013
Workshop
Nirma University, Ahmedabad
Photography workshop
2012
Workshop
Sabarmati Central Prison, Ahmedabad
Workshop for inmates, commended by the Office of the Additional DG and IG Prisons, Gujarat
2011
Workshop
IIT Gandhinagar
Photography workshop
2011
Workshop
Integrated Systems Pvt Ltd, Gujarat
Photography workshop
2011
Workshop
Chaudhari Technical Institute, Gandhinagar
Photography workshop
2011
Workshop
Nirma University, Ahmedabad
Photography workshop
2011
Workshop
Bhanwar Rathore Design Studio, Ahmedabad
Photography workshop
2009
Workshop
INIFD, Ahmedabad
Web design, photography and digital editing
2009
Workshop
Aquarius Bopal, Gujarat
Photography workshop
2009
Workshop
G Tech Computers, Kerala
Web design workshop
2007
Jury
Canon India Click O Tory
Judge, photography competition
Oct 2017
Jury
Canon PhotoMarathon, Mumbai
Judge, photography competition
Nov 2017
Jury
Amazon Shutterbug photo contest
Judge, photography competition
2016
Jury
Canon PhotoMarathon, Bangalore
Judge, photography competition
2015
Jury
NIT Calicut, Ragam cultural fest
Jury
2013
Jury
Nirma University, LAMP fest
Jury, photography competition
2012
Jury
K S School of Business Management
Jury, photography competition
2012
Jury
NIFT Gandhinagar
Invigilator, NIFT situation test
2011
Media partner
Christ College of Engineering, Irinjalakuda
Media partner for the event
2022
2027 batch
Thirty seats. One Gurukul.
The records are ours. The next credit is yours. Applications for the 2027 batch are open.