Newly Announced | The second edition of the Hamdan International Photography Award

Posted on: Mon July 7nd, 2012

Initially launched in 2011 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, HIPA has recently announced it's second edition promising an even larger amount in cash prizes than before. US$120,000 in prize money makes it the largest amount for any photography competition in the world.  In other words, get shooting!
 

Celebrating the second millennium anniversary since the development of the “Experimental Scientific Method”, the theme of this year's HIPA competition highlights and supports the development of photography within the UAE as well as internationally. HIPA aims to promote Dubai’s vision of artistic and cultural excellence on an international level while increasing the  awareness of the art of photography amongst the young Emirati population.  

Details below inform you of the categories and awards availabe, both for Emirati and international applicants.  Find out more and get excited, this is BIG!

Categories

Beauty of Light
The main category for the competition will be “Beauty of Light” commemorating scholar Ibn Al Haytham, whose research up to c. 1040 CE revolutionised the understanding of optics and light for all mankind.  There are no restrictions on what photographers may choose to submit for this category, as long as the influence of light is clearly demonstrated. In this category three Emirati and three international winners will be awarded, in addition to the overall grand prize.

General
The second category of competition will be the “General” category and it will also be assigned three winners from each of the Emirati and international pools of talent.  The general category of the competition was left open for competitors to show off their overall photography skills without any boundaries or restrictions.

Black and White
A third and new category added to this year’s award will be titled “Black and White” which is open to all nationalities with three awarded winners.  Submissions will not be solely judged on their effective use of black and white but will be considered for other additional factors such as the use of lighting and effective application of shades in the photograph.

Emirates
This category is also open to all nationalities with three opportunities to win.  The "Emirates" category was specifically designed for photographers to exhibit their appreciation of the United Arab Emirates and it's many icons through images.

An additional award has been reserved for the person with the most articulate research or scientific report regarding the field of photography, which will be US$25,000. There will also be a special appreciation award with a value of US $20,000 given to a person or association or team for their efforts and work towards photography.

Awarded Amounts

What you need to know

• Within the international opportunities, applicants are not required to reside in the UAE as the competition aims to support and encourage photographers from all around the world.
• Submissions for this year’s award will open on the 1st September 2012 until midnight on the 31st of December 2012 (UAE Time).
• Further details and complete guidelines for submissions will be available coming soon at www.hipa.ae

Stay tuned on the GPP blog and www.hipa.ae for updates!