VIDEO: Share shots of UAE’s beautiful winter, win up to Dhs50,000
- 21 Dec 2021
The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA) has announced the launch of the World’s Coolest Winter Photography Competition in collaboration with the UAE Government Media Office.
The total prize money of the competition amounts to Dhs250,000, which has been distributed (Dhs7,000) for each of the five subcategories under One Photo, and Dhs50,000 for each of the four subcategories under Portfolio.
The competition is being held on the sidelines of the second season of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign, which aims to familiarise residents and tourists with the activities available in winter in the UAE, the diversity of its touristic and recreational attractions, the beauty of its natural landscapes, and the hospitality of its people.
The competition will highlight the UAE’s entertainment, culture and natural landmarks, and raise awareness about the variety of its tourism activities. It will celebrate the country’s creativity behind the lens by inviting people to capture the natural landscapes and diverse wildlife of the UAE.
The competition features two main categories: the first is One Photo, which is open to the public and covers five subcategories – Desert, Sea, Mountains, Valleys, and Emirates from Above. The second, Portfolio, is exclusive to professional photographers and, includes four subcategories – Emirates in Your Eyes, Emirates Wilderness, Faces from Emirates, and Street Life in Emirates.
Participants must be above 18 years of age and submit their photos through the online registration page on HIPA’s website: www.hipa.ae.
The competition will run from Dec.20, 2021, to Jan.20, 2022, and will conclude with an award ceremony for the winners. The last day of the competition coincides with the conclusion of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign.
Participants should also share their photo under the One Photo category on their Instagram account while adding the campaign’s official hashtag: #WorldsCoolestWinter.
Alia Al Hammadi, Deputy Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office, said, “The UAE’s natural, touristic and cultural landmarks inspire viewers to see them through a new lens. The World’s Coolest Winter Photography Competition, which is being organised in collaboration with HIPA, will capture the magnificence of these landmarks and put them centre stage. It will also familiarise residents and visitors from abroad with the beauty that the UAE holds.”
For his part, Ali Khalifa Bin Thalith, Secretary-General of HIPA, said, “Photographs strongly influence emotion and spark excitement, meaning they can make a significant impression on any audience. We are delighted to manage the World’s Coolest Winter Photography Competition, and strongly support the photography community here in the UAE, including hobbyists and professionals, to play a role in promoting UAE winter culture and tourism. I look forward to seeing their skills and talent competing for the prizes and also the experience and knowledge they have gained along the way.”
Photo submissions will be evaluated by a panel of expert judges with international awards for creative photography and photojournalism. The panel includes John Stanmeyer, an American photojournalist who received the World Press Photo of the Year, and Canadian Barbara Davidson, three-time Pulitzer Prize winning photographer.
Recently, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, launched the second season of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign.
In a series of tweets through his official account, Sheikh Mohammed had said, “Today, we launched the second season of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign, in collaboration with federal entities and local tourism departments, reinforcing the UAE as one destination, as we outlined in the Principles of the 50.”
He then tweeted, “The primary target audience of the campaign is domestic and family oriented, with the aim of gathering our families in our beautiful nation. We want families from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to enjoy Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, and families from other emirates to experience Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Everyone should enjoy the Emirates.”
Sheikh Mohammed noted that the UAE’s winter is pure as the soul of the nation’s people, noting that “the world’s coolest winter is in the world’s most beautiful country among the world’s most pleasant people.”
WAM