DUBAI: The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has announced the second Special Award winner of their Thirteenth Season themed ‘Sustainability’ and Emirati photographer Salma Ali Al Suwaidi has been honoured with the ‘Photography Content Creator’ Award, a category that includes a US $50,000 prize.
This award celebrates editors, publishers, bloggers, promoters, influential researchers, and innovators who have made a significant and positive impact on the world of photography, enriching it with valuable insights and creativity.
The 13th Season winners will be revealed in the coming days, and all the awardees will be celebrated at a grand ceremony at the Museum of the Future in Dubai on November 12, 2024.
Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Community Protection and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of HIPA, expressed his happiness at the presence of Emirati female innovators who are breaking barriers and making history through their outstanding achievements.
He praised Salma Al Suwaidi’s accomplishment as a holistic one, reflecting artistic, national, scientific and environmental significance. He also noted that these pioneering figures serve as an inspiring model for future generations, embodying the potential to achieve the extraordinary.
Ali Khalifa Bin Thalith, Secretary General of HIPA, stated, “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Emirati photographer Salma Al Suwaidi on this well-deserved honour. Her dedicated efforts and unwavering determination in studying and documenting the wildlife and bird species of the UAE resulted in her invaluable encyclopedic book. This remarkable work stands as a significant national achievement and a vital research reference, offering numerous benefits to our understanding of the natural world.”
Bin Thalith added, “The ‘Photography Content Creator’ Award was established to recognise exceptional photographic contributions that enrich the artistic and cultural library, benefitting photographers, readers, researchers and enthusiasts alike, who wish to delve into the visual arts.”
Salma’s book ‘Common Birds and Their Nests in the United Arab Emirates’ is considered as a pioneering artistic project and a significant scientific resource to many other fields. It has earned high praise from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who described its author as ‘a passionate photographer whose dedication has led her to explore nature and document the avian life of the UAE’.
Bin Thalith concluded, “One of HIPA’s main goals is to support and honour national talent while inspiring the public to follow their example. Founded by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, HIPA seeks to elevate UAE’s creative visual artists in the global photography industry. Salma Al Suwaidi perfectly represents this mission and the achievements it aims to inspire.”
Salma Al Suwaidi shared her thoughts on winning the award, “Winning any prize is a recognition of a photographer’s work, but winning the special awards has a greater and higher moral value than any other. HIPA’s Photography Content Creator Award not only honours photographic skill and visual content, but also seeks the added value that photographers contribute.
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“I found the HIPA team’s research on my work to be incredibly thorough and meaningful. My advice to fellow photographers is to pursue their passion wholeheartedly, but to go beyond just visual appeal. They should strive to incorporate a scientific, investigative, or documentary element that hasn’t been explored before, as that is where true value lies,” she added.