DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 10th Apr, 2019) A total of eight winners were announced for Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award's (HIPA) ‘Flowers’ and ‘Celebrate Photography’ Instagram photo contests.
Submissions were being received under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Flowers for the February edition and #HIPAContest_CelebratePhotography for March.
The winners hailed from the UAE, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the USA and Spain.
The March competition was unique as a final edition of the Award ceremony leading up to the finale of the ’Hope‘ season. The competition’s subject was ’Celebrate Photography‘. A total of three winners were announced.
Ali bin Thalith, HIPA Secretary-General, said, "We have enjoyed the quality of the images submitted under the ’Flowers‘ theme, which reflected the photographers’ creative and unique perspective on beauty. Everyone is delighted by the sight of flowers, but the photographers' lenses from around the world translated this beauty in ways that no one else could imagine. This brought out the diversity of a flower’s aesthetic."
Indonesian photographer and winner in the month of February, Agus Supriyanto said, "I took the picture in the morning in my garden after it rained the night before. I saw the spider web covered with drops of water so much so that I could see the reflection of the flower behind it. The picture came out beautifully. I have won several competitions before but winning one of the competitions of HIPA is a source of great pride for me. This win means a lot to me and gave my photo a great opportunity to reach a wide international audience. I think one of the most important aspects of photography is that it shows the beauty of the world we live in."
Fatimah Mohammad Al Sabeeha, from Saudi Arabia, who picked up a prize in the March edition of the Instagram Photo Contest, commented on her win, "This picture of Mrs. Tina was taken in a mountain village in Nepal in 2016, as part of a photography trip with a group of photographers from the GCC. This lovely woman attracted my attention, so I started to talk to her. She told me that she is raising her little girl whilst also taking care of an Indian child whose parents work in the GCC. She invited me to her modest home to take some pictures of her and the children. She spoke English, which made it easy to communicate with her.
I won several contests but this is my first win on a platform such as Instagram. I was very happy to win one of the HIPA Awards; especially as it meant that I got to attend the eighth season Award ceremony at the Dubai Opera. Being in the presence of many esteemed guests is a great honour for any photographer. I work with my lens to draw attention to the importance of communication between different cultures and religions, as well as to deepen human communication with people all over the world."
