Dubai:H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended the closing ceremony of the 15th edition of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) at the Museum of the Future. The event celebrated the theme ‘Family,’ highlighting photography’s role in capturing human connections and preserving cultural narratives.
According to Wam, the ceremony awarded a total of $1 million across competition categories and Special Awards, recognizing exceptional talent in photography worldwide. The event began with the UAE national anthem, followed by a welcome address from Ali Khalifa bin Thalith, Secretary General of HIPA, who thanked H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his patronage.
The ceremony marked the 15th anniversary of HIPA, with Ali Khalifa bin Thalith announcing that HIPA’s photographic archive has grown to over one million images, contributed by a global community of photographers. The event emphasized Dubai’s position as a central hub for photography education in the Middle East.
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed presented the $200,000 Grand Prize to Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman for a poignant image capturing a family amid the ruins of their home in Korail, Dhaka. The ceremony also honored recipients of HIPA’s Special Awards, including the Appreciation Award to Japanese photographer Kazuyoshi Nomachi, the Content Creator Award to Syrian photographer Dr. Ali Mohamad, and the HIPA Photographer of the Year Award to French photojournalist Véronique de Viguerie.
The ceremony featured various award categories, with winners from different parts of the world. Emirati photographer Hamid Obaid Al Ali won the ‘Family’ category, New Zealand-based photographer Chi Hui Tang won the ‘Dreams Through AI’ category, and Palestinian photographer Yousef Alzanoon secured first place in the ‘Portfolio’ category. Other categories included ‘Sports Photography,’ ‘General – Colour,’ and ‘General – Black and White,’ with winners from China, Slovakia, Australia, and other countries.
