VIDEO: Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed honours photographers, filmmakers at Xposure

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of Sharjah Media Council, honoured the exceptional works of photographers and filmmakers in the 7th edition of Xposure International Photography & Film Awards during a special ceremony held on Saturday, February 11, at Expo Centre Sharjah.

In the presence of Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, and Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB, winners and runner-ups were presented their awards in 10 diverse categories, as well as an overall winner.

The world-renowned picture editor, Ray Wells, known for his exceptional eye for visual storytelling and experience in the selection of images that truly capture the essence of the moment, delivered feedback and remarks.

The grand prize was won by Marco Daniele Calandra of Sweden for his stunning drone shot, “The Titan”, which showcased his unique perspective, technical mastery, and creative vision.

The Xposure 2023 Photography & Film Awards have now come to a close and Calandra has earned the respect and admiration of photographers and audiences alike.

Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), the 2022-2023 edition of the global Xposure Awards showcased over 17,000 submissions from 180 countries, with categories ranging from Architectural to Wildlife Photography and a newly added Street Photography category.

Forty-one qualified industry professionals and critics served as impartial judges and the awards received worldwide response, including dedicated awards for Junior Photography and Sharjah Government Photography.

In the Architectural Photography Category, Muhammad Almasri from Jordan took home the runner-up prize with his photo “Joker Smile”, while Xiaoting Yu from China won the first prize for “The Most Beautiful Bookstore”.

In the Wildlife Category, sponsored by Sony, the awards were also accompanied by additional prizes with Matjaz Krivic from Slovenia receiving the runner-up award for “Najin, Her Friend and Caretaker Zachary Mutai”, with Xiaoping Lin from China winning first prize for “Pass By”.

The following two categories were also graciously sponsored by Sony and the Portraiture Category saw Zay Yar Lin from Myanmar receive the runner-up award for “Maiden Of The Suri”, while Austrian photographer Marylise Vigneau won the first prize for “Portrait of a Veteran”.

The Short Film & Moving Image Category runner-up was Alireza Kazemipour from Canada for “The Gold Teeth”, with Akbar Shahbazi from Iran taking first prize for “Kefsan”.

In the Sharjah Government Employees Category, Shahjahan Moidin Perumpullipatt was runner-up with “Trail”, while Abdul Kareem Ingintavide won first prize for “Every Line Is A Lifeline.”

With Samsung sponsoring the following two categories, winners and runners-up were presented with additional prizes alongside their prestigious awards.

In the Street Photography Category, Jason Au from Hong Kong received the runner-up award for “Social Distancing”, with Nikolay Schegolev from Russia winning first prize for “Two Time”. The Landscape Category saw Alessandro Cantarelli from Italy receive the runner-up award for “Lavaredo Gloria”, while Andreja Ravnak from Slovenia won first prize for “Textures 01”.

During the highly contested Photojournalism Category, Laetitia Vancon from Germany was the runner-up with “Mykolaiv”, while Arturo J Rodríguez Pérez won first prize for “Outer Planet” with both awardees showing incredible talent and dedication to their craft.

The Junior Photographers Category was also sponsored, this time by Canon, who presented a special prize to the winning entrants, with Jayseelan Muthukumar from UAE receiving the runner-up award for “Happy Morning!”, while Jamal Bazzari, also from UAE, won the first prize for his amazing capture titled “Faizan”.

Finally, the Drone Photography Category saw Sergey Anufriev from Russia receive the runner-up prize for “Fontanka SUP”, with Salman Alanazi from Saudi Arabia winning the first prize for “The World Disappears”.

The Xposure International Photography & Film Awards showcased the impressive talent and perseverance of photographers and filmmakers from around the world.