Abu Dhabi: Religion, art and leisure will all join together in the third edition of the ‘Spaces of Light’ competition for photography to capture the beauty and learn about the unique and diverse architectures at the Shaikh Zayad Grand Mosque and the Emirates Palace in the capital.
Spaces of light photography competition was launched in October 2010 to celebrate the aesthetic panorama and visual culture of the mosque.
Under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the competition will accept applications starting from March 3 until May 17 to encourage photographers and to highlight the mosques as a humanitarian and cultural space in the country.
Organised by the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre (SZGMC), the competition will be in two main categories: a public one focused on the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque and a private one focused on the Emirates Palace.
“Total prize value for this year is Dh250,000 spread over the two categories. The first place winners will receive Dh40,000 and a specialist Leica camera. The second place winners will receive Dh30,000 and the third place winner Dh20,000. The attractive prizes are given to encourage and attract the largest number of photographers to focus on the architectural aesthetics of both Emirates Palace and the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque,” said Abdul Aziz Al Maamari, acting director of cultural communication and events at the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre.
“The Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre continually aims to collaborate with cultural centres and tourism establishments. The third edition of Spaces of Light photography competition will showcase the aesthetics of the architectural themes found in the mosques, the most prominent and widely visited destinations in the capital, the country and the region,” said Yousuf Al Obaidli, Director of the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre.
Monthly educational photography workshops will be conducted during the competition period for all participants to develop the photography activity within the UAE.
The competition, which has received about 4,000 participating photos from around 50 countries from all over the world, will honour six winners from within and outside the UAE; three in each category.
“Different angles and attractions of the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque have not yet been captured out of almost 9,000 photos in the two previous editions. Thus, I encourage all professional and amateur photographers to register through the contest website www.szgmc.gov.ae, where all procedures can be found,” Al Obaidli added.
