The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, HIPA, concluded the April edition of the Instagram Photo Contest themed, “Solidarity”, with five winners announced.

The winners of the competition, which saw submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Solidarity, hailed from Indonesia and Iraq. April’s “People’s Choice Award” winner will receive a brand new NIKON D7500 SLR, courtesy of Nikon Middle East and Africa.

“The whole world is facing a difficult challenge, and during these circumstances, people need someone who reassures them and makes them feel hopeful and comfortable. Many nations have experienced different types of challenges and have managed to overcome them with a spirit of cooperation, solidarity and a determination to succeed. We enjoyed seeing examples embodying solidarity with great visual styles. Congratulations to our winners, and we look forward to even more of our community getting involved in next month’s competition,” said Ali bin Thalith, HIPA Secretary-General.

The winner of the “People’s Choice Award” was Desrian Eristha (@yangpenting_foto) from Indonesia.

He said, “The photo was taken in March 2016, during a flood in Padang, West Sumatra. The army, police and volunteers were working to evacuate the affected citizens. It was not easy, as the photo required me to wade into waters about a metre deep. The photo shows a man from West Sumatra who expresses solidarity with and helps the affected people. This is not my first win, but happiness overwhelms me because this competition is world-renowned, and winning it will support my career and help me make new friends with photographers from other countries, as well as support my goal of photographing ‘West Sumatra’ to the world.”

The Iraqi winner, Mortadha Imad Al Chaab (@mortadaphotos), said, “The photo was taken in Baghdad in 2019 during the anti-government protests by a group of solidarity youth. I have won many social media competitions before, but the taste of this win is different and it will help me develop my photography skills and succeed in my ambition to achieve the best levels of visual performance.”