The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the January 2022 edition of the Instagram Photo Contest, Eyes, the February edition On the Road and the March edition, Doors.

15 winners were announced across all the contests with submissions being received under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Eyes for the January edition, #HIPAContest_OnTheRoad for the February edition, and #HIPAContest_Doors2 for the March edition. The contest winners hailed from; India, Iran, Oman, Egypt, Philippines, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

HIPA Secretary General, Ali bin Thalith said, “One of the most powerful elements of the impact that a photo has on human beings is the connection with the details of daily life, its small issues and its visual observations that pass us by in a blink of an eye. These are moments that photographers capture through their lens and present them through their own artistic perspectives for the world to see.  Our recent contests reflect just that, daily common themes, but a look at the winning photos will tell the difference between what one person sees and what the photographer captures.

Bin Thalith added, “Our competitions are open to everyone and we continue to support promising talent from all over the world. We are pleased with the continued presence of our first-time winners with HIPA. We congratulate them and all the winners and as always enourage the rest of the participants to continue to develop their skills and participate in our various competitions.”

Our winner from Oman, Turki Ibrahim Ali Al Junaibi @turki_aljunaibi said about his winning photo in the ‘Eyes’ competition, “The photo was taken in 2020 on Masirah Island - Sultanate of Oman. What attracted me to this girl was the color of her distinctive eyes and her beautiful looks. I felt as if her eyes were telling stories without words. As I scrolled through the winning photos, hoping that my photo would be the next one, it was a feeling that no words can describe. This is my first win with HIPA, and my happiness stems from the strength of the competition and the participants. The challenge is very big. I dream of winning the annual HIPA competition and setting up my own exhibition one day.”

Mohamed Nageeb Nasr @negonasr, our winner from Egypt said about his winning photo from the ‘On the Road’ competition, “The photo is from the garden of the Islamic Museum in Doha. The photo was taken from the rooftop of the tower facing Doha Corniche. This is my second win in the HIPA competitions on Instagram.  Winning again renews my confidence in myself, my technical level and my ability to compete. I am a photographer who loves to travel and win.”

Animesh Maji @animeshmajiphotography, our ‘Doors’ winner from India said, “The photo was taken on Mousuni Island in Bangladesh. Many villages were flooded due to sudden heavy rains and rivers overflowing. Residents lost their homes and identities, and some doors remained intact. This is my second win with HIPA and I am very happy to add this achievement to my career. The first win gave me a lot of confidence, support and motivation and the second win will definitely give me even more. HIPA is one of the most amazing photography platforms in the world, and I am proud to be associated with it.”

  

Winners of “Eyes” competition

 

Winners of “On the Road” competition

 

Winners of “Doors” competition