Winners of HIPA’s Family Instagram Photo Contest Announced

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the March 2021 edition of the Instagram Photo Contest themed â€˜Familyâ€™, in partnership with the Ministry of Community Development. Five winners were announced for the competition, which received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAxMOCD_Family. The contest winners are from Egypt, Iran, Palestine and Turkey.

On the left: Ali bin Thalith, HIPA Secretary General / On the right: Alia Al Joker, Director of Family Development Department at the Ministry of Community Development / Photographs courtesy of HIPA

HIPA Secretary General Ali bin Thalith said, "Photography is one of the most powerful visual media; conveying deep messages and the meaning it is representing. As expected, the competition was high among the participants, thereby raising the quality of the entries. The winning photos are amazing, showcasing an array of concepts of what a family unit is, through the photographer's lens. We are delighted, in this partnership with the Ministry of Community Development allowing us to deliver the emotional, moral and aesthetic value of the family and its great social impact on everyone. As always, we invite all our participants to continue persevering and participating in upcoming editions to achieve their own personal win.

Furthermore, Alia Al Joker, Director of Family Development Department at the Ministry of Community Development, said: "The ministry is fully aware of the importance of family cohesion and coherence of the society. Our cooperation with the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award achieves a social, aesthetic and positive impact that reflects all the members of the family." She also noted that documenting beautiful and expressive moments of the family aims at achieving the best for all its members. "The goal of this competition, with its new theme'Family', is an invitation for creative people to document family moments in different cultures, civilizations, norms and nationalities. It asserts that no matter how different families are in terms of place, culture and possibilities, the family remains the cornerstone for each of us and its beauty lies in the interdependence and proximity of its members. The existence of these moments in a beautiful and true spontaneous form reflects and promotes the concept of family cohesion to consolidate happiness and wellbeing for everyone."

First place winner from Egypt Mona Hassan Abo-Abda @monaaboabda she said, "The nomadic Arabs in Egypt do not have an address. You can find them here and there, basically anywhere. Because they were born on Egyptian land, they carry the essence of nationality. Their documents may not include the name of a village or a city, but any Egyptian land is considered suitable to be their home to provide food for them, their pasture, and sheep. During the seasons, the nomads travel with their customs and traditions and set up a tent in any suitable village along their way.

Many people think that this way of life ended a long time ago, but the truth is that the nature of their workforces them to move from one governorate to another, riding their cattle for days in search of new pastures to stay for a while until the cattle have grazed the grass and hay and then move on to another area. The duration of their stay ranges from two to four months. Such was the life of the Arab Bedouins, whose origin goes back to the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula who came to Egypt centuries ago, specifically with the Islamic conquest of Egypt. I won many awards, including third place in the IPA International Photography Awards, in the editorial/journalism category, and other awards, but winning one of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed International Photography Award competitions made me very happy and gave me a lot of motivation to continue my artistic career. Winning with HIPA is a dream for all photographers. My ambition as a photographer is to travel the world and document people's lifestyle."

Second place winner from Iran Saeid Ghasemi @saeidghasemi1356, said, "I took the photo by chance in 2017 on the night of Yalda, an Iranian Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice festival celebrated on the longest and darkest night of the year, in the village of Angard. This is my 60th prize in national and international competitions. I was very pleased with my victory, which strengthened my self-confidence. I thank the Hamdan bin Mohammed International Photography Award for its efforts and consider it one of the best and most committed international photographic institutions. As a photographer, I shoot spontaneously without planning and consider light, colour and environment to be the primary criteria in photography."