Students encouraged to be creative

Dubai: Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, on Wednesday awarded 18 winners of the Noor Ali Rashid Second Photography Award at a ceremony held at Zayed University, Dubai Campus.

Dr Sulaiman Al Jasem, Vice President of Zayed University, other officials and faculty attended the ceremony.

The student documentary photography competition, held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan, aims to recognise the talents of young student photographers and videographers, and to continue Noor Ali's legacy by encouraging students to focus their talents on visual bodies of work that capture the essence of the UAE's land, people and leaders.

Modern technology

"We celebrate the artistic talents of the students. We recognise their ability to express themselves through photography, and to communicate what they see through their lenses.

"We also witness first-hand how modern technologies are transforming this important art form ... I expect that this experience of creating and competing will have a very positive effect on students' future careers," said Shaikh Nahyan.

This year, 94 UAE national students from various universities participated in the contest. Winners from the various categories - UAE land, UAE people, UAE leaders and UAE best portfolio category - were presented trophies.

Their work was on display during the ceremony. Majid Mohammad Al Zarouni, a paramedic student, won two prizes - one in the UAE land category and the other in the UAE best portfolio category.