The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has announced a total of five winners for the June edition of the Instagram Photo Contest which centered on the Holy month of Ramadan. HIPA received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Ramadan, through the official HIPA Instagram account @HIPAae. The winners are from a total of four countries; Bangladesh, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. All winners in the June edition of the contest will receive their respective ‘HIPA Recognition Awards’ in the coming days.
Commenting on the latest Instagram Photo Contest results, the Secretary General of HIPA His Excellency Ali bin Thalith said, “The Holy month of Ramadan is a special time of year for people from all faiths and backgrounds. Not only do Muslims take part in fasting between sunrise and sunset but they also partake in extra acts of spiritual worship which many photographers documented through the lenses of their cameras. This colourful time of year was masterfully captured by the entrants in this month’s Instagram Photo Contest, which contained some brilliant photography. We congratulate all our winners and encourage photographers to take part in future editions of the contest in the coming months.”
Instagram Photo Contest winner, Sameera Ahmed Sulais @sameerasulais, whose photograph was taken in the Quran teaching school in India, said she was, “Drawn to the spiritual attachment the children of the school had with the holy book they were learning.” Sulais, whose a first time winner, added, “I was very happy to be informed of my win on the eve of Eid and this win will give me added inspiration to take part in future competitions and perhaps win further.”
Another winner, Yemeni photographer Mansour Mohsen @mansour_mohsen, took his winning photograph whilst performing the Umrah pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca where worshippers reached up to touch the Ka’ba, Islam’s holiest site. Mohsen, who has won several other photo contests was “delighted to learn of his win”, and sees winning in such a prestigious online competition as a great boost for his budding photography career.
The Instagram Photo Contest for the month of July has been announced and will carry the theme ‘Macro Photography’. Submissions will be accepted through the Instagram hashtag #HIPAContest_Macro.
