The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the April 2023 edition of the Instagram Photo Contest, Keep Moving, and the May 2023 edition Shaky.

A total of 10 winners were announced for both contests with submissions being received under the hashtag #HIPAContest_KeepMoving for the April edition, and #HIPAContest_Shaky for the May edition. The contest winners hailed from Egypt, Indonesia, KSA, India, Oman, Philippines and Sweden.

HIPA Secretary General, Ali bin Thalith said, “The rising local and international interest in the competition among photography communities is a positive, important and supportive indicator of the long-term strategy fostered by HIPA to develop the capabilities and competitive experiences of both amateur and professional photographers alike. We appreciate the significance of having professional photographers participate in the competition, as it reinforces the strength of the competition and its reputation.”

Bin Thalith added, “We are always working on choosing well-thought-out themes that will develop the tools of photographers who are persistent in participating, diversify their expertise and experiences, and expand their visual imaginations. We congratulate the winners and wish all participants success in the upcoming events.”

Our winner from ‘Shaky’ competition - Iwona Marta Cwian @iwona_cwian she said, “The photo was taken on December 29 last year during a trip with my husband to Singapore to celebrate the New Year. This is a picture of a pentagonal sculpture filled with mirrors on the inside. I made a slight jerk for the camera to give this visual effect.

It's my first win in HIPA, and what an explosive feeling! I always thought that dreams don't come true! Winning in HIPA has been a dream of mine for the longest time. Winning this prestigious international competition will help me a lot. It is an honor to be among the list of winners. I always aspire to learn and improve my knowledge in various fields of photography non-stop.”

Hassan Abdullah Almakmare @almakmare, our winner from the ‘Keep Moving’ competition said, “I took this photo a year ago of an inspiring female athlete at a sporting event. This is my first win and it had a profound impact on my self-esteem. It contributed to boosting my self-confidence to the maximum. I did not expect to win, but it became a beautiful and motivating reality. I always work on developing myself and aspire to specialize and excel in the field of sports photography.”

Hani Moustafa @hani.el.moustafa, our winner from the ‘Shaky’ competition said, “The photo was taken at the Tanoura Dance performance in Cairo two years ago. I took a number of successful photos of these shows and they were displayed and sold in well-known galleries in Egypt. But that night something different happened! The Tanoura dancer’s movement in harmony with the Sufi lyric poems inspired me to look at each spinning movement as a new journey.. Usually the dancer does not repeat his movements, but rather reaches different levels of inspiration and rhythmic harmony with each spinning, here I decided to capture the visual flow and not the frozen moments, I chose the slow shutter and got a great photo.

I have previously won three times in photography competitions, but winning a competition for a prestigious institution such as HIPA has a special feeling. My students congratulated me on it a lot, and I was really happy with that. Continuity of winning builds trust, expands perceptions and learning spaces, and enhances the strength of support from partners.”

Winners of ‘Keep Moving’ competition

Instagram @	Name	Country
almakmare	Hassan Abdullah Almakmare	Oman
ctg_jr	Carlito T. Galamgam Jr.	Philippines
jsinglador	Jaime Sumugat Singlador	Philippines
dileep.ambu	Dileep Sasidharan	India
fotohendra	Hendra A Setyawan	Indonesia

 

Winners of ‘Shaky’ competition

Instagram @	Name	Country
hani.el.moustafa	Hani Moustafa	Egypt
chainez.ofc	Muhammed Hamdy Said	Egypt
hammad_alhuthali.ph	Hammad Muawwadh Alhuzali	KSA
iwona_cwian	Iwona Marta Cwian	Sweden
kusnadimungkul	Kusnadi	Indonesia