Diversity is Hipa photo competition's theme for 12th award

Brazilian photographer Ary Bassous’s photo of a doctor after eight hours of continuous work in the Covid-19 emergency room won him the grand prize at Hipa's 10th season. Photo: Hipa

Diversity will be the theme of the 12th Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, organisers behind the annual competition have announced.

Open to submissions between April 1 and June 30, the competition has a grand prize of $120,000, and will take place across four main categories. While diversity serves as the main theme, it also has been titled as a category, along with general, which includes colour as well as monochrome photographs, portfolio and a new category: digital art.

For the diversity category, judges will be looking for a photograph that artistically captures the concept. “It is one that brings to reality the wonders of the world we live in, highlighting how different yet similar we all are as we share a kindred purpose,” the competition call reads.

Portfolio is a chance for photographers to showcase their storytelling skills. Judges will be looking for “a portfolio of photographs that allows photographers to capture the hearts and minds of audiences in a way which may not be possible through a single photograph.”

General, meanwhile, invites photographers to submit works that may not be in line with the other categories. The category is segmented into two sections for colour and black and white photographs.

The digital category is an opportunity for those with digital technology capabilities, organisers said, to “present works enhanced with meaning and nuances that boosted the overall work of art.”

“Hipa has been working on developing its knowledge and skills in order to continue achieving its vision of spreading the culture of photography,” Ali Bin Thalith, secretary general of the competition, said.

“Our aim is to highlight the progressiveness of civilisation and the evident bridges of communication between nations and cultures through the language of photography through the support of our communities around the world.”

Bin Thalith said diversity was chosen as the theme as it is “a crucial and culturally necessary topic in the global scene.”

“It is a platform for coexistence and the guiding principle of tolerance, acceptance of others, and appreciation of differences. The arts play a crucial role in improving the quality of human communication and confront the topics that counter the prosperity of civilisation, such as extremism and racism, amongst others.”

Bin Thalith also stressed that the grand prize of $120,000 is open to participants in all categories. The incentive, he says, is a challenge to “established and budding photographers.”

The competition also features three honourary prizes.

The Photography Appreciation Award will be given to a person or group with a long-standing commitment to enhancing the art of photography. The Photography Content Creator Award extends to editors, publishers, bloggers, researchers, inventors, promoters and all print and digital content creators that have had a positive impact on the photography industry. Finally, the Emerging Person/Organisation in Photography Award is presented to an emerging person or organisation that has shown outstanding work or vision in the industry, be it on a regional, national or international level.

Submissions for Hipa will be accepted on the official website www.hipa.ae. The deadline for submissions is June 30

Brazilian photographer Ary Bassous’s photo of Dr Juliana Ribeiro after eight hours of continuous work in the Covid-19 emergency room has won him the grand prize at the 10th season of Hipa

France's Sameer Al-Doumy's photo of migrants onboard a boat won first place in the General Category

An entry by Fatima Zahra Cherkaoui from Morocco, who won second place in the General Category

Eirik Gronningsaeter from Norway won third place in the General Category with this entry

Giuseppe Cocchieri from Italy won first place in the General Category (Black & White)

Yadi Setiadi from Indonesia won second place in the General Category (Black & White)

Bambang Wirawan from Indonesia won third place with this entry in the General Category (Black & White).

First place in the Humanity Category goes to Mads Nissen from Denmark for this photo

Ilhan Kilinc from Turkey won second place in the Humanity Category

The third place winner in the Humanity Category is Marc Abou Jaoude from Lebanon

Fabrizio Maffei from Italy won fourth place in the Humanity Category with this photo

This entry by India's Biplab Hazra was named fifth place in the Humanity Category

Charles Saswinanto from Indonesia won the first place in the Architectural Photography Category with this entry

Amri Arfianto from Indonesia won second place in the Architectural Photography Category

Third place in the Architectural Photography Category went to Lin Jing from China

Beatriz Fernandez Mayo from Spain won fourth place in the Architectural Photography Category

An entry by Rahul Bansal from India, which won fifth place in the Architectural Photography Category