PHOTOGRAPHY HIPA’s Instagram Photo Contest ‘Food-o-graphy’ Cooks Up a Strong Group of Winners

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has announced a total of five winners for the July edition of the monthly Instagram Photo Contest.‘Food-o-graphy’ took center stage for the July competition under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Food, which saw submissions entered by Instagram users from all around the world. Winning photographs have been posted on the official HIPA Instagram account @HIPAaewith the winners receiving their respective ‘HIPA Recognition Awards’ in the coming days.

The Secretary General of HIPA, His Excellency Ali bin Thalith said, "We congratulate the winners of our July Instagram Photo contest and commend them on their hard work. Food-o-graphy is an interesting topic for most photographers and we felt a challenge of this magnitude was warranted to inspire photographers to submit some creative and diverse photographs. We feel that the photographs submitted this month have been a testament to the creativity possessed by members of our photographic community. Likewise, the amount of first time winners within our Instagram Photo Contest proves that HIPA continues to promote the work of up-and-coming photographers from around the world looking for international exposure."

Instagram Photo contest winner Amir Azari @amirazariphotographywhose high-speed photograph captured a cantaloupe being splashed with green paint said, “This photo belongs to a collection named ‘fruit’ and I decided to make the collection more creative by combining various colours with different fruits.” Azari, who is a professional photographer himself and a former finalist with HIPA also admitted, “As a professional photographer, I like to learn more every single day, and I think winning in this competition can be advantageous for me by acquainting my works to an international audience. I hope to meet new people and other photographers from around the world through HIPA and I thank them for simplifying this process for me”.

Sawsan Abu Farha@chefindisguisewho was also a winner in the HIPA Instagram Photo Contest, said, “It is my first time winning (in a photo contest) and I am very excited! This win means so much to me because food photography is a hobby of mine which is fueled by passion”. Abu Farha is a popular food blogger and revealed that her winning photograph, “was taken at home for a series of Ramadan posts” from her blog which is known for sharing Middle Eastern food recipes. Abu Farha described winning as a “huge boost” for her confidence and that the contest “has been a great chance to connect with creative photographers from around the globe.”

The Winners

Abdullah Jasem Al-Ahmed, Saudi Arabia

Photo: Courtesy of HIPA

Mohamed Said Sayed Mohamed, Egypt

Photo: Courtesy of HIPA

Amir Azari, Iran

Photo: Courtesy of HIPA

Basma Al-Tai, Iraq

Photo: Courtesy of HIPA

Sawsan Abu Farha, Jordan

Photo: Courtesy of HIPA

The theme for the August edition of the Instagram Photo Contest will be announced in the coming days on HIPA’s social media platforms.