PHOTOGRAPHY Winners for HIPA’s ‘Abstract’ and ‘My Mother’ Instagram Photo Contests Announced

A total of five winners were announced for each edition of the contest with submissions being received under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Abstract for the February edition and #HIPAContest_MyMother for March. The contests’ winners hailed from; Bahrain, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen respectively.

His Excellency Ali bin Thalith, the Secretary General of HIPA said, “Despite being around for a very long time, abstract photography is still growing in popularity amongst the photographic community. It affords photographers the chance to be extra creative with their work and create some mind-blowing artistic masterpieces that may not necessarily fit in the realms of mainstream photography. At HIPA, we appreciate all forms of photography and photographers and wanted abstract photographers to be showcased through our Instagram Photo Contest for the month of February. Some of the winning photographers are a great reminder to the beauty and creativity of abstract photography and we commend all the winners and photographers that submitted their photographs.”

Bin Thalith continued, “We also felt it was important to personalise the theme of the March edition of the Instagram Photo contest by selecting ‘My Mother’ as the theme. We wanted photographers to showcase their appreciation of mothers and their importance in the world we live in, through their cameras. As a result, we received a stunning array of submissions and winners. I congratulate all of our winners and hope that they will continue to participate in future editions of the Instagram Photo Contest.”

Saudi photographer and winner in the month of February, Khalid Al Ghamdi (@gsk240) said, “I was initially testing a new lens I had just purchased and figured the best way to do so was by taking a photograph of a motherboard I had nearby. The resulting photograph was surprisingly stunning, resembling a drone shot of an urban metropolis with the variety of colourful cells looking like sky scrapers from above, a truly abstract image in my opinion. With this being my first ever win in a photography competition, I hope to push in with my photographic career and produce more unique photographs in the future.”

Omar Alsorory (@1omaraw) from Yemen, who picked up a prize in the March edition of the Instagram Photo Contest, commented of his win, “First of all, I am very happy to have won in the March edition of the HIPA Instagram Photo Contest with my photograph showing a mother cradling her malnourished child in a hospital in Somalia. At the time, the hospital housing the mother and her child was overwhelmed with patients requiring different forms of treatment, a common occurrence in a country ravaged by famine and war. The main aim of capturing this photograph was to convey the suffering of the children of Somalia to the rest of the world and I am glad that my win in the Instagram Photo Contest can help to promote that. I aim to continue to shoot powerful images highlighting the struggles of those less fortunate and I hope to be able to win more awards in the future.”

Winners - February 2018 (#HIPAContest_Abstract)

Deni Iskandar, Indonesia

Deni Iskandar, Indonesia / Courtesy of HIPA

Khalid Saed Alghamdi, Saudi Arabia

Khalid Saed Alghamdi, Saudi Arabia / Courtesy of HIPA

Agus Supriyanto, Indonesia

Agus Supriyanto, Indonesia / Courtesy of HIPA

Osama Abdullah Alzayed, Kuwait

Osama Abdullah Alzayed, Kuwait / Courtesy of HIPA

Talib Abdullah Almarri, Saudi Arabia

Talib Abdullah Almarri, Saudi Arabia / Courtesy of HIPA

Winners - March 2018 (#HIPAContest_MyMother)

Omar Alsorory, Yemen

Omar Alsorory, Yemen / Courtesy of HIPA

Ali Alhassan, Saudi Arabia

Ali Alhassan, Saudi Arabia / Courtesy of HIPA

Hamed Al Ghanboosi, Oman

Hamed Al Ghanboosi, Oman / Courtesy of HIPA

I Wayan Sumatika, Indonesia

I Wayan Sumatika, Indonesia / Courtesy of HIPA

Isa Ebrahim, Bahrain

Isa Ebrahim, Bahrain / Courtesy of HIPA