The theme for the September edition was WATER.

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the September edition of the Instagram Photo Contest themed ‘Water’. Five winners were announced for the competition which received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Water. The contest winners hailed from; Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait and Turkey respectively. September’s ‘People’s Choice Award’ winner will also receive a brand new Nikon D7200 SLR Camera, courtesy of Nikon Middle East.

HIPA Secretary General, His Excellency Ali bin Thalith said, “Water is often associated with life and health, and is an integral ingredient to the survival of most living organisms on this planet. For decades, photographers have attempted to master the imagery of water into their photography, something which has seen further assisted with the advent of modern photo editing technology. Through this month’s Instagram Photo Contest, we wished to pursue all those talented photographers that are able to capture the purity of water through their photography. I wish to thank all the photographers that took part in this month’s edition of the Instagram Photo Contest, and also wish to congratulate all the winners on their beautiful submissions.”

September’s winner of the ‘People’s Choice Award’ was Taisir Mahdi @taisirphoto from Iraq and he said, “I captured my winning photograph in a poor and small village on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad in 2015. It is of a young girl holding a metal bowl under a traditional water tap that is often used in rural areas in Iraq. The pure and cold water provided through this old and traditional method is often the only way some of the poor in Iraq are able to obtain drinking water. Despite winning many previous online competitions, to be a winner with the HIPA Instagram Photo Contest is a special milestone in my photographic journey. The appreciation of fellow photographers which allowed me to win the ‘People’s Choice Award’ is also very pleasing and an absolute honour. I plan to build on this important achievement by continuing to network with fellow photographers and seeking to capture more unique photographs in the world around me.”

Another winner, Edy Pamungkas @edypamungkas_ from Indonesia said, “One day and out of complete boredom, I decided to photograph a water drop in my house. With the help of a flash light and a sensor device called HSP (High Speed Photography), I managed to control and capture the falling water and droplets. In my opinion, these delicate water droplets hold great artistic value because of the beautiful imagery they can create if captured properly. I hope that I can inspire more photographers to capture unique images, despite being a first time winner in a photo contest. I would like to thank HIPA for continuing to push and nurture up-and-coming photographers like myself, and I hope to take part in more Instagram Photo Contests in the future."

Winners

Taisir Mahdi, Iraq

image Taisir Mahdi, Iraq / Courtesy of HIPA

Fahad Al- Enezi, Kuwait

image Fahad Al- Enezi, Kuwait / Courtesy of HIPA

Mustafa Gezer, Turkey

image Mustafa Gezer, Turkey / Courtesy of HIPA

Saeed Abdullah Dhahi, Bahrain

image Saeed Abdullah Dhahi, Bahrain / Courtesy of HIPA

Edy Pamungkas, Indonesia

image Edy Pamungkas, Indonesia / Courtesy of HIPA


Comments
  • No comments
Add a comment
(to add comment, please )