11/11/2026
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11/11/2026
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DUBAI, Nov 11: The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has distributed US$1 million in prize money to photographers from around the world at its 15th annual awards ceremony, held at Dubai's Museum of the Future under the theme ‘Family’.
Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman won the prestigious US$200,000 Grand Prize for a powerful photograph depicting a family sleeping within the remaining concrete walls of their home after a devastating fire destroyed more than 1,500 houses in Korail, one of Dhaka's most densely populated informal settlements.
The photograph captures the human cost of the disaster while highlighting family bonds, resilience and the determination to endure even in the face of overwhelming destruction.
Held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and UAE Minister of Defence, the ceremony brought together dignitaries and leading figures from the international photography community.
The 15th edition recognised photographers across five competition categories — Family, General, Portfolio, Sports Photography and Dreams Through AI — alongside special awards honouring outstanding contributions to photography and visual storytelling.
Gulf photographers also featured prominently among the winners, with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait securing recognition across different categories, while Palestine claimed first place in the Portfolio category.
Gulf photographers among the winners
Emirati photographer Hamid Obaid Al Ali secured first place in the Family category, followed by Saudi photographer Nawaf Alosaimi in second place and Indian photographer Subhajit Datta in third.
In Sports Photography, Chinese photographer Hongbin Wu won first place, while Kuwait's Faisal Hamada secured second place. Russian photographer Kirill Kudryavtsev took third.
The Portfolio category saw Palestinian photographer Yousef Alzanoon claim first place, followed by American photographer Brent Stirton in second place and American astronaut and photographer Don Pettit in third.
International winners across competition categories
The General category recognised distinctive photographic approaches in colour and black-and-white imagery.
In the General – Colour section, Slovak photographer Filip Hrebenda won first place, followed by Switzerland's Franco Banfi in second place and Italy's Ramiro Torrents in third.
In General – Black and White, Australian photographer Jono Allen secured first place, followed by Indian photographer Barun Sarkar in second and Canadian photographer Thomas Vijayan in third.
The Dreams Through AI category, highlighting emerging creative possibilities at the intersection of photography and artificial intelligence, was won by New Zealand-based photographer Chi Hui Tang. Chinese photographer Fan Ho Tsang took second place, while Colombia's Bernardo Hernandez finished third.
Special awards honour photography pioneers
The ceremony also recognised three distinguished figures for their contributions to photography and the wider creative community.
Japanese photographer Kazuyoshi Nomachi received the Appreciation Award for a career spanning more than five decades. His work has documented communities in remote regions and challenging environments, exploring their traditions, spiritual practices and relationship with the land.
The Content Creator Award went to Syrian photographer Dr Ali Mohamad for his role in connecting advanced technology with visual arts and making complex technological concepts more accessible to photographers and content creators across the Arab world.
French photojournalist Véronique de Viguerie received the HIPA Photographer of the Year Award in recognition of her work documenting the lives of people affected by oppression, war and conflict.
HIPA archive crosses one million photographs
HIPA Secretary-General Ali Bin Thalith expressed appreciation to Sheikh Hamdan for his continued patronage and support of the award and the art of photography.
He said the 15th edition's Family theme was aligned with the UAE's designation of 2026 as the Year of the Family, following directives from President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to strengthen family relationships, promote social stability and preserve Emirati values for future generations.
Bin Thalith also announced that HIPA's photographic archive had surpassed one million images, contributed by an active community of more than half a million photographers representing 209 countries.
He said Dubai had developed into an important international platform for photography, helping expand opportunities for creative talent and photographic projects beyond traditional global centres.
The 15th anniversary edition further reinforced HIPA's international standing as a platform celebrating photography's ability to document humanity, preserve cultural identities and connect people through powerful visual narratives.
