PHOTOGRAPHY Hamdan Photography Award Announces Categories for its Sixth Season ‘The Challenge’

The Board of Trustees of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has announced the categories for the Award’s forthcoming Sixth Season, which comes under the main theme of 'The Challenge'. The announcement came in a press statement by His Excellency Ali Khalifa Bin Thalith, Secretary General of HIPA, where he underlined that the Award is venturing into new visual experiences through a bold approach that pushes the innovation horizons of photographers worldwide.

His Excellency Ali Khalifa Bin Thalith, Secretary General of HIPA / Courtesy of HIPA

“Following five years of thoughtful artwork that supports, refines and represents an authentic culture of photography and raises awareness of its role in building civilisations, along with the recognition by the Award of innovative photographers around the world, HIPA continues its journey in its Sixth Season by selecting ‘The Challenge’ as the main category to provoke the creative power, analytical skills, and ability to translate through the lens what challenge means to them from their own experience in life, and how they deal with it in their own peculiar ways,” Bin Thalith said in his statement. He also added, “You may already see that HIPA plans to further evolve and harness a new era of visual art that builds on the knowledge, experience and skill-sets it inspired in its audience in 193 countries."

Commenting on the three new categories, Portfolio, Digital Manipulation and General Category (black & white / color), Bin Thalith stated: "Following the emotive and heart-warming theme of Happiness, we now hear a strong call in the ‘The Challenge’ theme, which seeks to mobilise our mental skills, visual memory and creativity to produce powerful and effective visual expressions that go beyond the single photo format and further delving into a sequence of photos that is completely different in nature and requirements from the single photo shot. This ‘Portfolio’ category tests the story telling capabilities of our photographers."

“In recognition of the great technological leaps that aim to liberate photographs from the limitations of physical reality by alterations and manipulation, HIPA now opens the door for the imagination of photographers by offering a ‘Digital Manipulation’ category. However, the ‘General’ category will continue to be a space for pure creative photography that breaks all formats and norms, offering photographers the opportunity to freely sail on their own journey of discovery where no one else has been – whether it be through black and white or colour photography."

Challenge / Courtesy of HIPA

Bin Thalith concluded by saying, “Today, we announce the theme of Challenge to be the visual platform for all talented photographers around the world. We offer them the opportunity to outdo themselves in a strong competition.” Bin Thalith stressed the need for participants to start as soon as possible with their entries, saying: “I encourage participants to start early and seriously with their submissions because time in itself will be a ‘challenge’ this year. Unlike previous years, entries for this season are open from May 1 to October 31, 2016, instead of the usual end-of-year closing date. So, photographers have six months to submit their best artwork. The judging process will commence as of November to ensure we allow the required time to evaluate all the entries in our new and complex categories; especially with the Portfolio and Digital Manipulation categories, which we anticipate will require additional efforts and time from the panel of judges due to nature and complexity of the category.”

HIPA’s Secretary General further shared, “As we launched our fifth season, we felt it was time to expand on our portfolio of photography events to ensure we established a robust platform for photography in the region as we continue to strive towards making Dubai a photography hub. With this in mind we delivered not only another Dubai Photo Forum but developed and established a unique temporary photography museum representing 20th and 21st century photography from around the world. The museum received unprecedented positive feedback showing the continued thirst the region has for photography. With this in mind, we felt it necessary to review our yearly calendar and continue to evolve so that we can introduce even more projects to further nurture and support our photography community. So, keep your expectations high, because what’s coming is even richer and more appealing.”

Challenge / Courtesy of HIPA

6th Season Categories & Prizes with the Grand Prize 120,000 $

The Challenge Category

Photographers are very familiar with the challenges faced in their line of work. They often have to deal with challenges in order to be able to capture the right image at the right moment and deliver the intended message or provoke the right feelings. However, this category is about conveying the theme of challenge in a clear manner either in the way the photograph was shot or in its content and subject matter. The scope is quite wide; the challenge could be shown in the composition of the picture, the arrangement of its elements, sequence, the lighting, or in expressing the odd and unusual (without digital manipulation). It can be in capturing a fleeting moment that may never pass again, or in delivering a piece of information or situation that is quite hard for most people to do. Don’t limit your mind to what the challenge may be; seek it and capture it.

1st prize - 25,000$ / 2nd prize - 20,000$ / 3rd prize - 15,000$ / 4th prize - 12,000$ / 5th prize - 10,000$

Portfolio Category

This category invites photographers to convince the jury of their photographic talents and skills combined with their knowledge in a particular topic or theme of their choice by telling a story through photographs. The challenge here lies in imagining the desired setting of the photographs before capturing them in separate frames that would tell the story on their behalf. The Portfolio category is an innovative addition to HIPA which no doubt breaks the barrier(s) of the single photograph and the single moment, and allows for the planning and execution of a story from various different angles and perspectives with differing or contrasting moments.

1st prize - 15,000$ / 2nd prize - 12,000$ / 3rd prize - 10,000$ / 4th prize - 8,000$ / 5th prize - 6,000$

General Category

This category remains as attractive as ever for photographers who have an outstanding eye for photography that doesn’t necessarily fall into any of the other categories. Year after year, this category has gained quality and diversity, with a constant share of about a third of all entries registered in HIPA. Accordingly, HIPA has widened the scope for this category and will offer participants two opportunities instead of one; thus dividing it into two sub-categories: One for Black and White entries, to give deserved substance to this classic art form, and the other is for Coloured entries, giving participants the option to dazzle the jury and viewers with their colours.

BLACK & WHITE: 1st prize - 15,000$ / 2nd prize - 12,000$ / 3rd prize - 10,000$

COLOUR: 1st prize - 15,000$ / 2nd prize - 12,000$ / 3rd prize - 10,000$

Digital Manipulation Category

Digital manipulation of photography has reached unprecedented highs that could never have been dreamt of before. In fact, it has arguably become an art form of its own. Therefore in recognition of this art, HIPA is giving creative photographers with digital skills the opportunity to deliver an out-of-this-world image that is both convincing and realistic; a mind-blowing image from the realms of fantasy that challenges human perception with its apparent reality. HIPA invites all creative photographers to let their imaginations loose by taking real photos and digitally manipulating them to unreal levels of art, beauty and thought provocation. This category will no doubt usher in a high level of competitiveness in creativity and digital skills.

1st prize - 15,000$ / 2nd prize - 12,000$ / 3rd prize - 10,000$ / 4th prize - 8,000$ / 5th prize - 6,000$

'Special Awards'

• Photography Appreciation Award (Personal, Group or Team Award) - 20,000$

• Photographic Research/Report Award - 25,000$

The total prize pool for all categories is 423,000$. To learn more and to submit your work please visit HIPA website