DUBAI — The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) announced the winners of its ninth competition, entitled ‘Water’ with Australian photographer Jasmine Carey winning the grand prize of $120,000.

Emirati creativity sparkled with a two-way victory through photographers Yousef Bin Shakar Al Zaabi and Rashed Al Sumaiti. Saudi photographers Abdullah Alshathri and Fahad Faraj Abdulhameid jointly won in the Mobile Photography category.

Kuwaiti photographers Fahad Al Enezi and Talal Al Rabah, along with Iraqi photographer Karrar Hussen, competing in the Gulf’s visual creativity category, won one-third of the ninth season’s prizes. The competition also saw Indian photographers winning five awards in various categories.

Secretary General, Ali Bin Thalith thanked Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai, chairman of the executive council and patron of HIPA, for his continued support to HIPA and the art of photography.

"We watch today how the creators of the world see water through their lenses. Water is the major issue that concerns us all, and touches our lives and the survival of our planet," said Bin Thalith.

The Grand Prize winner, Jasmine Carey from Australia, submitted a photo of a humpback whale sleeping beside her two-week-old baby, taken in the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific.

First place went to François Bogaerts from Belgium, followed by Shantha Kumar Shivam Laila from India in second place, Buchari Muslim Diken from Indonesia in third place, while Sourav Das of India took fourth place. Yousef Bin Shakar Al Zaabi from United Arab Emirates won fifth place.

In the General–Color category, in first place was Fahad Al Enezi from Kuwait, second went to Yose Mirza from Indonesia, while Emirati photographer Rashed Al Sumaiti finished in third place.

In the General–Black & White category, first place went to Talal Al Rabah from Kuwait, followed by Polish photographer Anna Niemiec in second, and Indian photographer Sujan Sarkar in third place. – WAM