HIPA Concludes its UK Participations with Resounding Success

LONDON / The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has rounded off its participations in the British capital London, by taking part in the PopUp Gulf Photo Plus event over the weekend. The award had hosted an exhibition at the Royal Geographical society from the 24th of September until the 27th of September with a lecture by world renowned photographer and Humanitarian REZA on the 25th of September. Participation at PopUp Gulf Photo Plus took part on the 28th and 29th of September with a HIPA stand present for photographers to visit whilst visiting lectures.

The highlight of HIPA’s participations at London was the September 25th exhibition and lecture at the Royal Geographical Society by world renowned photographer and humanitarian REZA. The lecture was attended by an approximate crowd of 300 visitors including several dignitaries and industry heavyweights. Representing the UAE at the lecture was H.E Abdulrahman Ghanem Almutaiwee, UAE ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum.

The HIPA exhibition showcased winning and shortlisted photographs from the previous season "Beauty of Light" also saw an impressive number of visitors over its 4 day duration. Thousands of visitors graced the Royal Geographical society to view last season’s benchmark works which were spearheaded by the Grand Prize winning photograph by Osama Al Zubaidi from the UAE. Media outlets also took to covering the event with several television and print media present throughout the 4 day exhibition and lecture on the 25th.

Commenting on HIPA’s first foray into United Kingdom, Ali bin Thalith, the Secretary General of HIPA described the participations as "a resounding successes which clearly demonstrated HIPA and Dubai’s ambitions in the world of photography." Bin Thalith added, “The large attendances during our lecture and exhibition on the 25th show that HIPA has won many admirers in London and the United Kingdom and will continue to do so with its unique categories and stunning winning photographs." "We have truly highlighted our vision during our stay in Britain by providing photographers with a world-class lecture conducted by one of the world’s best known photographers whilst also demonstrating the distances we are willing to travel to bring our winning and shortlisted photographs to our friends in the UK."

Commenting on HIPA’s participation at PopUp Gulf Photo Plus, Sahar Al Zarei, the assistant Secreatry General of HIPA said "HIPA is always willing to create partnerships with other organisations to help reach photographers from all walks of life. The PopUp Gulf Photo Plus event was a great achievement for our team who assisted all visitors to the stand and helped them understand the award and benefits of taking part. HIPA’s uniqueness by being open to professional and amateur photographers really caught the eye of the UK photographic community and we are honoured to have been able to show them all aspects of our great award."

HIPA Lecture in London / Courtesy of HIPA

Currently in its third season of competition (Creating the Future), the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award is set to be the richest photography award in the world for the second season running. Founded in 2011 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, the award is set to boast a grand prize of $120,000 and an overall prize pool of $389,000.