The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the July 2021 edition of the Instagram Photo Contest, Nostalgia. Four winners were announced for the competition, which received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Nostalgia. The contest winners hailed from; UAE, Saudi Arabia, India and Iran.

HIPA Secretary General, Ali bin Thalith said, “Nostalgia is such a powerful theme that evokes so much contemplative thought and emotions, not only for those looking at the photograph, but also the photographer themselves. Nostalgia can make us smile with joy or sadness all at the same time. Like a time capsule, it has the ability to take us back in time or make us reflect on the future. Congratulations all our winners who continue to nurture their craft and are dedicated to achieving excellence and we encourage all our participants to continue persevering.”

Our winner from UAE Ahmed Obaid Alnaqbi @uae_uwp said, “The photo was taken in Masafi - Fujairah (the old fort) in January 2021, the aim of the photo was to highlight the traditions and the simple old model of life in the United Arab Emirates.

This is my second win in the HIPA Instagram contest, and I have previously won many prizes from international competitions. This win will give me more motivation to participate in the competition and do my best to win more prizes.”

Fahad Abdulaziz Aloudah @o_fahad, our winner from Saudi Arabia explained, “The photo was taken in Trinidad, Cuba, in June of 2019, and the story is that this man is an ex-military who keeps and is proud of the medals awarded to him for his military engagements.

This is my first win with the Hamdan Bin Mohammed International Award for Photography. When I found out I was a winner, I was very happy and did not believe it. I aspire to be the HIPA Grand Prize winner. It gave me a strong morale boost to move forward in my photography career.”

Gaanesh Prasad @gp_canon, our winner from India explained, “The photo was taken in Port Stephens (New South Wales) in Australia, in March 2016. I felt a connection with the Dubai desert through the scene in the photo and it really made me nostalgic for it.

I have won some competitions internationally, but winning with HIPA is a special moment in my life that I will cherish for a long time. I felt on top of the world when I saw the announcement on Instagram. Photography is my passion and I enjoy every moment of capturing the beauty of places, nature and streets. Winning the competition gave me a great motivation to discover more in the world of photography.”

Ahmad Salehi @ahmadsalehi.photography, our winner from Iran explained, “The photo was taken in 2013 in Miandashtar-Isfahan, Iran, while working on a social documentary film about the lives of the people of that region. The character in the photo is an old woman who lives alone in a country house; she passed away in 2017.

I participate in almost all HIPA competitions and have reached the final stage several times, so winning made me very happy and was such a great experience for me. Success after effort and hard work is beautiful and I feel such a sense of accomplishment. I achieved my first goal, and the second is to win the HIPA Grand Prize. I plan to work hard to achieve it one day.”