“Capture the Spirit of Ramadan” International Photography Competitionâ„¢ Winners Announced

The Winners are:

1st Place:

"The Qur'an" by Muhammad Hatta (Indonesia) is a an amazing photo showing a man, standing and reading the world's largest Qur'an in Palembang. It is a striking view of huge hand carved wooden plates adorned with Quranic scripture. The light and composition show a harmonious connection between a man and his spirituality and the uniqueness of the location is shared with the world in this intriguing image.

"The Qur'an" by Muhammad Hatta (Indonesia) / Courtesy of IRPC

2nd Place:

"The Month of Qur'an" by Samer Hilmy (Egypt) presents one of the most notable scenes of Ramadan, one of a grandmother teaching her loved ones how to read the holy Qur'an, which was revealed during the holy month some 1400 years ago to the Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him. The Prophet once said "The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and then teach it."

"The Month of Qur'an" by Samer Hilmy (Egypt) / Courtesy of IRPC

3rd Place:

"Subhanaka Ya Allah" by Imane Tirich (Morocco) portrays a special moment of connection with Allah, The Merciful and oneness with nature. The humbleness of an elderly man in prayer can be felt by anyone who fasts and prays and can relate to the depth of this moment. A beautiful Ramadan moment captured in a perfect light.

"Subhanaka Ya Allah" by Imane Tirich (Morocco) / Courtesy of IRPC

Honorary Mentions:

• Etha Ngabito from Indonesia for her meticulously thought out macro shot of an ant carrying a Ramadan greeting banner.

• Waseem Andrabi for his beautifully coloured and moving Eid and Ramadan photos from Kashmir.

• Nouriddine Baelhadj for his light-filled inspirational photos of Eid from Algeria.

The "Capture the Spirit of Ramadan" International Photography Competitionâ„¢ is a unique and unprecedented 30-day visual celebration that aims to educate and enlighten thousands of viewers around the world about Islam through Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. This competition has allowed the viewer to travel to different countries every night during the month of Ramadan to experience cultures, traditions and daily rituals in the photographs that were submitted daily from around the world. As a non-profit, non-partisan social responsibility initiative by StudioBasel for Creative Solutions, an Arab-American creative design firm, this initiative aims to serve as a platform for talented photographers to share their creativity with the world while delivering a cross-cultural and inter-faith message. The event has attracted over 45,000 fans and over one million viewers this year in its effort to eradicate misconceptions about the Muslim faith through the art of photography.

"The "Capture the Spirit of Ramadan" International Photography Competition™ is a very important event presenting the beauty of each Ramadan moment. It gives the chance to professional photographers to show their talent, to capture the moment, the beauty and the story behind this holy month of spirituality, charity and connection with The Creator. The winning entries were hard to choose since there are so many excellent photos. I am happy to be a part of this wonderful event and to see this huge amount of talent among photographers from around the globe" said Mrs. Elvira Bojadžić, Co-Founder and Art Director at the Islamic Arts Magazine in Sarajevo, one of this year's jury committee members. The other members included Dr. Basel Almisshal, the founder of StudioBasel and the IRPC; Mr. Ahmed Krausen, a German-born Danish photographer that has studied Islam through photography in Africa and Asia; and Dr. Mustafa Azahari from Malaysia, a photography expert and Dean of the Art & Design Faculty at the University of Technology MARA.

Dr. Basel Almisshal, Founder of the IRPC said: "We are proud of this years competition and photographers, many of whom are very talented and presented a great challenge to each other throughout the holy month. The support, encouragement and interest expressed by many international organizations including the Ashmolean Museum, UNESCO, The New Yorker Magazine and the United States Library of Congress is very humbling and proves that the IRPC has been a success in providing an international platform for photographers to share their creative work while contributing to socio-cultural understanding and religious tolerance and awareness."

To learn more about the IRPC and the first photography book solely dedicated to Ramadan around the world please visit THE WEBSITE.