INTRODUCTION
Xiaomi, in partnership with the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA), invites photography enthusiasts across the region to take part in an exciting six-month Instagram photography contest.
Whether you're a seasoned photographer or a passionate creator, this is your opportunity to showcase your talent, share your unique perspective and compete for recognition through the power of photography.
The Transit
Footsteps rushing to catch a train.
A suitcase resting beside its owner.
A fleeting reflection on a bus window.
In transit, faces and scenes are constantly changing, revealing small moments between movement and stillness, each carrying a story that may never repeat.
For the fifth edition of "Gulf Unposed", HIPA and Xiaomi invite photographers across the Gulf to capture "The Transit": the passing details and stories that unfold throughout our journeys and in the spaces that carry us from one place to another.
This edition is dedicated to all types of photography equipment. Participation is open to all citizens and residents of the GCC.
How To Participate
- Photos Photo must be taken on any camera or mobile phone.
- Registration Register for the competition through this link - click here .
- Submission Capture a photo related to the theme. Post the photo to your public Instagram account.
- Hashtags Use the hashtags #GulfUnposed_TheTransit and #Xiaomi_HIPA.
- Mentions Tag @xiaomi.gcc, @xiaomi.ksa, and @hipaae in the caption.
- Important Only one photo submission is allowed per participant.
- Submission Deadline The deadline for participation is 21 October 2026, 11:59 PM (UAE Standard Time) .
The Transit
Rules
Please read these rules (the Rules) before submitting your photo(s) to Gulf Unposed | 5th Edition ‘The Transit’ (the Competition). By participating in the Competition, you (You/ Your/ the Participant) understand, acknowledge and fully, irrevocably and unconditionally agree to abide and be bound by the following Rules:
- This contest is open for submission via Instagram only. Participants must also register to enter the contest through this link - click here .
- Participation is open to all residents and citizens of the GCC: UAE, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
- Participants must be at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entering the competition.
- Participants must submit an original photograph captured using any camera or mobile phone.
- Submissions will be accepted from 8th October 2026 until 11:59 PM on 21st October 2026 (UAE Standard Time - GMT +04:00). No entries posted after closing time will be accepted.
- Participants can only submit one photo. Additional submissions may result in disqualification.
- The submitted photo must have an original file in RAW or JPEG format, with high quality and resolution, of a minimum 2 MB size (RAW files are NOT required at the time of submission).
- The submitted photo must not contain any tag(s), signature(s), initial(s), frame, border(s), logo(s), or any other references and/or marks added by the participant.
- HIPA and Xiaomi reserve the right to assess and discard from the competition any submitted photo deemed contrary to the foregoing.
- Photos that portray or otherwise include inappropriate and/or offensive content, including nudity, violence, and/or any other content deemed to be contrary to the UAE's religious, cultural, and/or public moral traditions and practices, will be disqualified.
- Upon reaching the final stage of judging, you grant HIPA and Xiaomi, a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty free, sub-licensable right and license to use, publish, reproduce, display, perform, adapt, modify, create derivative works, distribute, have distributed, print, promote your submitted photo(s), in whole or in part, in any form, in all media forms now or hereafter known, anywhere in the world for any purpose, related to the contest, the publication in and HIPA and Xiaomi promotional digital and/or printed materials and formats broadcast such as on magazines, printed leaflet and brochures, website and/or through other public online feeds, promoting subsequent contests and/or the work of HIPA and Xiaomi generally.