Dubai: Expo 2020 Dubai joined hands with the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) to launch a photography competition for youth aged 16-25 across the GCC.
The competition will run until September 30, with the winners announced at the 2016 edition of YouthConnect, which will be held in Dubai in November.
There are three categories, each matching a subtheme of Expo 2020, which bears the overall theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
The categories are Opportunity, which is about unlocking the potential within individuals and communities to shape their future; Mobility which examines the creation of smarter and more productive movements of people, goods and ideas; and Sustainability, which looks at ways that we can best utilise and live in balance with our world.
Entries will be assessed on both technical skill and relevance to the subthemes by a jury comprising both HIPA and Expo 2020 representatives. Ten entries from each category will be shortlisted and showcased across the two days of YouthConnect. The winning entry from each category will then be revealed at an awards ceremony. Winners will each receive a Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera, as well as a place at a two-day HIPA practical workshop. The competition will also include the People’s Choice Award, with members of the public invited to vote online for their favourite entry.
HIPA’s secretary-general Ali Bin Thalith said: “We are delighted to be part of YouthConnect for a second year and to be working with the team at Expo 2020 in inspiring the youth of today to continue developing their creativity. Photography has always transcended boundaries, connecting people, with the ability to communicate without words.”
Commenting on the competition, Manal Al Byat, vice-president of Engagement at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “During the highly successful photography workshop which ran during last year’s YouthConnect event, we caught a glimpse of the UAE’s young creative talent, their genuine passion for photography and their ability to capture our iconic surroundings with flair and imagination. Now, as we open the event to the wider region and continue our relationship with the internationally renowned HIPA, we are excited to call on the GCC’s young people to join us as co-creators on our journey to 2020.”
