World's Coolest Winter Photography Competition

The World’s Coolest Winter Photography Competition, organised by Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA) in collaboration with the UAE Government Media Office, announced its winners on Monday.

The competition, which ran from December 20, 2021, to January 20 featured two main categories - one photo, which is open to the public, and portfolio, which was exclusive to professional photographers.

Within the span of just one month, the competition registered more than 2,800 submissions by 2,176 participants from 89 countries.

The announcement coincided with the conclusion of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign, the largest of its kind highlighting the UAE’s entertainment, culture and natural landmarks, and raising awareness about the variety of its tourism activities during the nation’s winter season.

The winners in the One Photo category, where each of its five subcategories was awarded Dh7,000, were Maurizio Casula from Italy in the desert subcategory; Jason Balaba from the Philippines in the Sea subcategory; Abdalla Mohamed Alraeesi from UAE in the Mountains subcategory; Khaled Alkindi from UAE in the Valleys subcategory, and Ajay Ghosh Ramachandran from India in the Emirates from Above subcategory.

The winners in the Portfolio category, where the award for each of its four subcategories amounted to Dh 50,000, were Omar Almarzouqi from UAE in UAE in Your Eyes; Rahul Bansal from India in UAE Wildlife; Tittu Thomas from India in Faces from UAE; and Crisencio Bernabe from the Philippines in UAE Street Life.