Sharjah is on the hunt for the world's best emerging photographers, as part of the fifth International Photography Festival – Xposure.
People who work within the genre of travel and documentary photography are being invited to apply for the Timothy Allen Photography Scholarship Award (Tapsa).
What is the Timothy Allen Photography Scholarship Award?
For the past four years, more than 20 photographers have benefitted from the scholarship and trained under award-winning English photographer and filmmaker Timothy Allen, who is known for his work with indigenous people and isolated communities around the world.
Scholarships are offered annually to five emerging photographers based on the submission of work shot within the last three years, which best represents their style. This can include one or more stories or simply a selection of single images.
Allen judges the entries using criteria such as ingenuity and originality, as well as excellence in image-making and storytelling.
Take a look through the photo gallery above to see the works of past winners.
This year's chosen five will get a 10-day travel package to Sharjah, where they will take part in a five-day workshop led by Allen.
The participants will be given assignments, a portfolio review, one-on-one coaching, location photography training and the chance to present their work to a live audience.
"Tapsa is continuing to attract exceptional new talent from around the world, with entries increasing substantially every year," Allen said. "Previous recipients are also continuing to excel in their photographic careers with notable successes, including a contract at Reuters, assignments with National Geographic and The New York Times."
He added: "Tapsa is free and open to all and, this year, as always, I am incredibly honoured and excited to once again have the chance to play a part in helping the careers of emerging photographers from the world over."
Who has won the award before?
Past winners include Ana Caroline de Lima from Brazil, who won a place in 2017. The documentary photographer, writer and visual anthropologist focuses on the world's traditional cultures and her work has been exhibited in more than 20 countries, in both solo and group shows.
The image that clinched her a spot was one of a Quechua woman in Peru, who is seen waiting for her husband to come back home during a snowy day in the Andes, where landslides are common.
Linus Escandor II, from the Philippines, was a winner in 2018. The photojournalist and documentary photographer explores various themes in his work, including the environment, health, social and human rights issues. His work has been published in The Guardian, The New York Times and The Washington Post, to name a few.
It was an incredible image of the "beautiful but dangerous" 2,461-metre-high Mayon Volcano in his home country, seen spewing ash and lava, that won him a place in the competition two years ago.
Last year, Indian environmental and wildlife photographer Senthil Kumar Ragendran won a scholarship and was endorsed by Allen, which led to him receiving global media exposure and winning a number of awards.
The image that impressed the judge most was of an elephant bathing in a taming camp in India.
The deadline for this year's submissions is September 23.
The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18. Candidates can register online.
More information is at www.xposure.ae
