HIPA announces its first ever ‘People’s Choice’ Award

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Dubai (UAE), June 14, 2018

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the May edition of the Instagram Photo Contest which was themed ‘Yellow.’

A total of five winners were announced for the competition which received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Yellow.

The contest winners hailed from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iraq and Kuwait respectively.

People’s Choice Award

Additionally, HIPA presented Kuwaiti winner, Yousef Ali Almuhanna with the ‘People’s Choice Award’ for receiving the most number of Instagram likes on his winning photograph which tallied to 8184 impressions.

Muhanna will be awarded a brand new Sony Alpha a6300 Mirrorless Digital Camera, presented by Sony Middle East.

Outstanding Yellow

HIPA Secretary General Ali bin Thalith said, “The colour yellow stands out as a brazen and bold colour that evokes a sense of inspiration in most. We therefore wanted our Instagram community to submit some imaginative and inspirational photography into the May edition of the Instagram Photo Contest and they once again delivered resoundingly.

“As an added bonus this month, we also introduced the ‘People’s Choice Award’ which afforded our community the chance to vote on the five winning photographs for the month of May. The photographer whose winning photograph received the most likes is then crowned as the winner and presented with a brand new digital camera from Sony Middle East.”

Church of Saint George

Kuwaiti photographer and winner for the month of May and HIPA’s first ever ‘People’s Choice Award’ winner, Yousef Ali Almuhanna @Yousefphoto said, “My photograph was taken in Ethiopia, where thousands of Christians drive to the ‘Church of Saint George’ that is carved into rock. The pilgrims gather in the Lalibela area with their distinctive clothing, carrying the cross and quietly turning towards the church for the pilgrimage. As a photographer, I consider the stories of different people to be the most inspiring aspect of the artform. I also appreciate the stories told by people’s faces around the world and always strive to turn this into inspirational photography.

“In the past I have won several online competitions, but this is my first time ever winning through Instagram; which could well mean that my photography will now spread to more photographers and critics around the world. HIPA is one of the most important photography organisations in the Arab world, and I am delighted to have been a winner with them.”

Paddy Grain Field

Ehsanul Siddiq Aranya @abonour38 from Bangladesh is another Instagram Photo Contest winner, and he said, “A paddy grain drying field (Chatal) is a place where people dry paddy grains with the help of natural sunlight so that they are boiled and then be sold on in the markets.

“I took this photograph in the village of Dhamrai, near the Bengali capital Dhaka when visiting the village to observe the lifestyle of the villagers and to learn more about paddy grain drying techniques. It just so happened that I saw a young village girl dressed in yellow playing among the patterns of paddy grains, which I found to be a beautiful and mesmerising image. I believe it is the duty of every photographer to show different people in unique surroundings to the best of their ability.

“My family and friends are probably the biggest supporters of my photography and they always spur me on to capture stunning photography and submit it into international contests. I was delighted with my most recent win and I believe that the recognition will help increase my self-confidence and exposure. This win has made me very excited about the future of my photography and I can’t wait to get back into shooting at the first possible opportunity.”

HIPA’s Instagram Photo Contest theme for the month of June is set to be ‘Mosques’, which will be in line with the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan.

Full list of winners

Photo Caption:

1. The winning entry of Yousef Ali Almuhanna (Drive to Church of St George in Ethiopia)
2. Another winning entry under the ‘Bold Yellow’
3. Ehsanul Siddiq Aranya’s Village Woman taken in Dhamrai, near Dhaka, Bangladesh