• © Rudoi Vladimirovich 1st Prize – Faces (Black and White) category. This photograph was taken inside a photography studio and is of a young girl named Stella-Maria. With her deep stare, Stella-Maria is able to captivate the viewer through her innocence and youth, whilst being presented in classic black and white. The shadow covering part of her face also adds to the intrigue in this young lady.
    © Rudoi Vladimirovich 1st Prize – Faces (Black and White) category. This photograph was taken inside a photography studio and is of a young girl named Stella-Maria. With her deep stare, Stella-Maria is able to captivate the viewer through her innocence and youth, whilst being presented in classic black and white. The shadow covering part of her face also adds to the intrigue in this young lady.
  • © Alexandre Buisse 4th Prize - Night Photography category. This photo was taken in January 2014 at the Lau Bij climb in the Cogne Valley of the Gran Paradiso Park, in Italy’s Aosta valley. The beautiful medium of ice combines really well with the flash photography, showcasing the transparency of the deep blue colours of the ice, as well as the athleticism of the climbers.
    © Alexandre Buisse 4th Prize - Night Photography category. This photo was taken in January 2014 at the Lau Bij climb in the Cogne Valley of the Gran Paradiso Park, in Italy’s Aosta valley. The beautiful medium of ice combines really well with the flash photography, showcasing the transparency of the deep blue colours of the ice, as well as the athleticism of the climbers.
  • © Harish Chavda. 1st Prize – General category. Even though Dwain Chambers (right) was not considered to be one of the favourites at the UK Athletics Olympic trials in Birmingham, he definitely had something up his calves. As Dwain crossed the line, it dawned on him that he as an underdog had ripped through popular expectations. His roar and the twitch of every single muscle on his upper body reflected the triumph within.
    © Harish Chavda. 1st Prize – General category. Even though Dwain Chambers (right) was not considered to be one of the favourites at the UK Athletics Olympic trials in Birmingham, he definitely had something up his calves. As Dwain crossed the line, it dawned on him that he as an underdog had ripped through popular expectations. His roar and the twitch of every single muscle on his upper body reflected the triumph within.
  • © Peng Li 1st Prize – Night Photography category. This photograph was taken of an ancient Chinese ‘Diaojiaolou’ house in the town of Fenghuang, located near the Tuojiang River in Hunan province. Diaojiaolous are often used as hotels or restaurants in Hunan province, due to their great charm and beauty. As the night falls, countless red lanterns provide light inside the Diaojiaolou, giving a priceless and surreal view of past and present in one photograph.
    © Peng Li 1st Prize – Night Photography category. This photograph was taken of an ancient Chinese ‘Diaojiaolou’ house in the town of Fenghuang, located near the Tuojiang River in Hunan province. Diaojiaolous are often used as hotels or restaurants in Hunan province, due to their great charm and beauty. As the night falls, countless red lanterns provide light inside the Diaojiaolou, giving a priceless and surreal view of past and present in one photograph.
  • © Zeki Yavuzak. 3rd Prize – Life in Colur category. In Aydin, Turkey, red peppers, eggplants and zucchinis are string-dried in the summer in preparation for the cold winter months. Women, teenagers and children work this delicate and careful job as a way of earning extra money in the summer - a common practice in that part of the country. The girl in the photograph is a local high school student who works this job as a means of helping her family as well as saving money for the school year ahead.
    © Zeki Yavuzak. 3rd Prize – Life in Colur category. In Aydin, Turkey, red peppers, eggplants and zucchinis are string-dried in the summer in preparation for the cold winter months. Women, teenagers and children work this delicate and careful job as a way of earning extra money in the summer - a common practice in that part of the country. The girl in the photograph is a local high school student who works this job as a means of helping her family as well as saving money for the school year ahead.
  • © Anurag Kumar Grand Prize – Life in Colour category. “Each year, India witnesses an unprecedented wave of vibrancy and colour during Holi, the festival of colours, celebrated throughout the country. The photo could have been restricted to a red and yellow affair, had it not been for the man throwing a handful of blue powder which made all the difference. The seated worshippers in the photo, seem to be letting the barrage of colours layer them, which adds to the uniqueness of this photograph.”
    © Anurag Kumar Grand Prize – Life in Colour category. “Each year, India witnesses an unprecedented wave of vibrancy and colour during Holi, the festival of colours, celebrated throughout the country. The photo could have been restricted to a red and yellow affair, had it not been for the man throwing a handful of blue powder which made all the difference. The seated worshippers in the photo, seem to be letting the barrage of colours layer them, which adds to the uniqueness of this photograph.”
  • © Aruna Bhat 1st Prize – Life in Colour category. “This photograph was taken in Ki Gompa, a monastery of Tibetan Buddhists in the Indian Himalayas. Every evening, the young monks of the temple are given time off to play in an open area nearby. These young monks, in their richly coloured robes, manifest the true meaning of enthusiasm and cheerfulness, unlike the greyness of the walls behind them.”
    © Aruna Bhat 1st Prize – Life in Colour category. “This photograph was taken in Ki Gompa, a monastery of Tibetan Buddhists in the Indian Himalayas. Every evening, the young monks of the temple are given time off to play in an open area nearby. These young monks, in their richly coloured robes, manifest the true meaning of enthusiasm and cheerfulness, unlike the greyness of the walls behind them.”
  • © Ali Rajabi Shomali 2nd Prize – General category. This photo was taken on 6th Ave in Manhattan, New York City in January 2014. The photographer captured walking pedestrians as they crossed the road in freezing conditions. Although the red lights and cold weather indicate inactivity, the crossing pedestrians and their will to get to where they need to be, indicates the exact opposite.
    © Ali Rajabi Shomali 2nd Prize – General category. This photo was taken on 6th Ave in Manhattan, New York City in January 2014. The photographer captured walking pedestrians as they crossed the road in freezing conditions. Although the red lights and cold weather indicate inactivity, the crossing pedestrians and their will to get to where they need to be, indicates the exact opposite.
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World’s richest photo contest

By Marc Gafen | 18 July 2015
© Anurag Kumar Grand Prize – Life in Colour category. “Each year, India witnesses an unprecedented wave of vibrancy and colour during Holi, the festival of colours, celebrated throughout the country. The photo could have been restricted to a red and yellow affair, had it not been for the man throwing a handful of blue powder which made all the difference. The seated worshippers in the photo, seem to be letting the barrage of colours layer them, which adds to the uniqueness of this photograph.”
© Anurag Kumar Grand Prize – Life in Colour category. “Each year, India witnesses an unprecedented wave of vibrancy and colour during Holi, the festival of colours, celebrated throughout the country. The photo could have been restricted to a red and yellow affair, had it not been for the man throwing a handful of blue powder which made all the difference. The seated worshippers in the photo, seem to be letting the barrage of colours layer them, which adds to the uniqueness of this photograph.”

In the few short years that it’s been running, the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has grown exponentially. Only in its fourth year, the competition attracted almost 31,000 contestants, up from 4,000 in 2011, with a staggering 60,162 images submitted for the 2014 season. The competition is broken down into four main categories. In 2014, they were: Life in Colour, General, Night Photography, and Faces (Black and White). Of the total entries received from 166 countries, Australia’s entries ranked 31st place, for quantity, with India taking out top spot with 10% of entries, followed closely by Iran, making up almost 8.5% of submissions.

© Zeki Yavuzak. 3rd Prize – Life in Colur category. In Aydin, Turkey, red peppers, eggplants and zucchinis are string-dried in the summer in preparation for the cold winter months. Women, teenagers and children work this delicate and careful job as a way of earning extra money in the summer - a common practice in that part of the country. The girl in the photograph is a local high school student who works this job as a means of helping her family as well as saving money for the school year ahead.
© Zeki Yavuzak. 3rd Prize – Life in Colur category. In Aydin, Turkey, red peppers, eggplants and zucchinis are string-dried in the summer in preparation for the cold winter months. Women, teenagers and children work this delicate and careful job as a way of earning extra money in the summer - a common practice in that part of the country. The girl in the photograph is a local high school student who works this job as a means of helping her family as well as saving money for the school year ahead.

The richest photographic contest in the world, US$400,000 was up for grabs, with the Grand Prize winner walking away with US$120,000 for their image. At the awards ceremony, held in Dubai, earlier this year, Indian Photographer, Anurag Kumar was named overall winner for his image of Holi, the Hindu festival of love and colours, taken in Uttar Pradesh, India.

© Aruna Bhat 1st Prize – Life in Colour category. “This photograph was taken in Ki Gompa, a monastery of Tibetan Buddhists in the Indian Himalayas. Every evening, the young monks of the temple are given time off to play in an open area nearby. These young monks, in their richly coloured robes, manifest the true meaning of enthusiasm and cheerfulness, unlike the greyness of the walls behind them.”
© Aruna Bhat 1st Prize – Life in Colour category. “This photograph was taken in Ki Gompa, a monastery of Tibetan Buddhists in the Indian Himalayas. Every evening, the young monks of the temple are given time off to play in an open area nearby. These young monks, in their richly coloured robes, manifest the true meaning of enthusiasm and cheerfulness, unlike the greyness of the walls behind them.”

First place category winners walked away with either US$25,000 for the main category, Life in Colour, or $15,000 for the other categories. Two “Special Awards” were also given. American Scott Kelby won the Photographic Reseach-Report Award, while Brazilian Sebastião Salgado won the Photography Appreciation Award. The judging panel of nine included Australia’s own Alicia Adamopoulos.

© Ali Rajabi Shomali 2nd Prize – General category. This photo was taken on 6th Ave in Manhattan, New York City in January 2014. The photographer captured walking pedestrians as they crossed the road in freezing conditions. Although the red lights and cold weather indicate inactivity, the crossing pedestrians and their will to get to where they need to be, indicates the exact opposite.
© Ali Rajabi Shomali 2nd Prize – General category. This photo was taken on 6th Ave in Manhattan, New York City in January 2014. The photographer captured walking pedestrians as they crossed the road in freezing conditions. Although the red lights and cold weather indicate inactivity, the crossing pedestrians and their will to get to where they need to be, indicates the exact opposite.

The fifth season of HIPA has the main theme of “Happiness”. Their challenge is for photographers to… “bring the happiness of the world we live in through their camera lenses.” Other categories for 2015 are: General, Wildlife, and Father and Son.

www.hipa.ae