board meeting: the award-winning photograph of india’s female skateboarders

Walking hand-in-hand to the skatepark, decks tucked under their arms, Asha Gond and Puti are pioneers of India’s burgeoning female skateboarding community – and the subject of an award-winning photo series

Even in western nations, female skaters have found it hard to break into a sport long dominated by lads. In India’s stubbornly patriarchal society, women like Gond have had to overcome even more obstacles. But overcome them she has. In 2018, she was the only female skater representing India at the World Skateboarding Championship in Nanjing, China.

“Against prejudice and threats, some women have rebelled, balancing on a board and transforming skateboarding into a form of resistance against the patriarchy,” said Chantal Pinzi, an Italian photographer who has documented India’s female skateboarders for a photo series called Shred the Patriarchy.

“Through the art of falling and getting back up, these women challenge stereotypes, fight marginalisation and reclaim public spaces in both urban and rural areas.”

Pinzi won the sports category at the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards for the series. As well as a celebration of girl power, the series is a reminder of how something as simple as building a skatepark can change lives, as it did in the village of Janwaar, Madhya Pradesh, where Gond grew up.

Image: © Chantal Pinzi, Italy, winner, professional competition, sport, Sony World Photography awards 2025