The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA), through Digital Photographer Philippines, launched its five-day photo exhibit at the SM Aura Atrium, showcasing the works of the winners and finalists from the 2014-2015 season of the contest.

HIPA Secretary General His Excellency Ali Khalifa Bin Thalith Al Humairi, SM's Henry Sy Jr., UAE Ambassador Moosa Abdulwahid Alkhajah, and United Nations Ambassador of Goodwill for Visual Arts Gion Gounet

Among the photographs on display is Anurag Kumar’s entry for the main category Life in Colour, which depicts the Holi Festival in India. Also, in the past season, two Filipino photographers, Jaime Singlador and Xyza Dela Cruz Bacani, placed fifth in the General and Faces categories, respectively.

Jaime Singlador and his photograph

Anurag Kumar's winning photograph

Currently, the fifth season of the award is on-going and will be taking entries until the end of 2015. The categories for this year are Happiness, Wildlife, Father and Son, and General, which is a mainstay in the competition.

On May 30 and 31, HIPA will also host a two-day workshop by world-renowned photography author and HIPA judge Tom Ang at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura.

HIPA was founded in 2011 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Duabi, as he is a passionate photography enthusiast himself. 

The HIPA photo exhibit is open until June 3. Visit www.hipa.ae for more information on the competition.