The Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) is an annual event showcasing awe-inspiring images by professional and amateur photographers from around the world.
Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) is an international photography award, founded in 2011 under the patronage of the crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The annual total prize money is USD$400,000 (up from $389,000 in 2013).
The award is open to anyone. In its first year (2011/2012), 5600 photographers were involved from 99 countries; in its second year (2012/2013), 19,000 thousand people from 121 countries were involved.
This is the photo contest with the biggest prize money in the world, but it is only one winner in each category.
For the Portfolio category, the theme for this year is Diversity.
"Diversity has existed on earth since the beginning of time. It is one of the fundamentals of life that our ancestors have learnt and understood along with the wisdom behind it until it has become ingrained as intellect.
You may see diversity right in front of you, whether it be in an idea that inspires you or in a random and spontaneous visual comparison.
In all its vastness, the ‘Diversity’ category widens the doors of creativity allowing your photography to be filled with meaningful, empowering and expressive concepts.
For the seventh year in a row, the ‘Portfolio’ category continues to bring in great photographic works from photographers that have an awe-inspiring passion for visual story-telling."
Only the best photos make it to the finals....
This is my 2nd time as a finalist in the contest - the first was a few years back with "Flowers of Ethiopia"...
This is my entry - The Venice Carnevale, and a finalist for this year's contest...
The titles for the 10 photos for this contest:
Leone di Venezia
Kintsugi
La Coppia
Marquis
Puck and the Fairy - A Midsummer Night's Dream
MDXCV
Capodimonte
Prezioso Segreto
Persucution of the Kings
The Houses of Bourbon and Savoy
You can read about their individual descriptions and stories on their dedicated blog posts...
2023 is my 9th year at the Venice Carnevale.
This year, I switched my style and subjects a bit, focusing more on the locals and non-masked attendees. My entry for HIPA is only half of my Venice Carnevale series - the largely non-masked and largely local Italian half of the series.
The masked half will combine with this first half for another big photo project early 2024...and then with 2024's Venice Carnevale, another very big photo project...