SHARJAH: The 9th edition of the Xposure International Photography Awards concluded with a remarkable showcase of talent, as photographers from 162 countries submitted over 10,000 entries across nine categories. Myanmar’s Pyaephyo Thetpaing emerged as the overall winner with his captivating black-and-white image, “The Fishing Boys”.
Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), the Xposure International Photography Festival and Awards aim to highlight the power of visual storytelling. The competition serves as a platform for photographers to share human experiences and bridge divides through imagery.
Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, and HE Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB, presented the awards. The winners were selected by a distinguished jury panel of renowned photographers, including Giles Clarke, Wiktoria Michałkiewicz, Kerstin Hacker, Maria Mann, and Essdras M. Suarez, who commended the masterful lighting and narrative in “The Fishing Boys”.
In the Junior Photography category, UAE-based Rithved Girishkumar won for his stunning piece, “Guardians of The Hive”, while Madhav Manu took the runner-up spot for his urban exploration work, “Light Show”. In Architecture, Shyjith Ondencheriyath won for “Nordic Elegance”, with Tanveer Hassan as runner-up.
The Mobile Phone and Night Photography categories celebrated technical excellence. Myanmar’s Aung Chanthar clinched first place for “Fishermen”, while Marian Kuric took the Night Photography prize for “DOOM”, a haunting image of abandoned industrial sites.
Other winners included Lakshitha Karunarathna in Nature and Landscape, Mary Crnkovic in Street Photography, and Antonio Aragon in Portraiture. The Photo Manipulation & AI category saw Alena Ivochkina’s “Open Question” win first place.
Xposure continues to solidify its reputation as an essential platform for global photographers, reaffirming photography’s transformative power to tell stories across borders.
