The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the April 2022 edition of the Instagram Photo Contest, Lights. Five winners were announced for the competition, which received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Lights. The contest winners hailed from; Indonesia, Australia, and Bangladesh.

HIPA Secretary General, Ali bin Thalith said, “Light has a special value for all photographers from different schools of photography and its specialties. Just small changes in the degree of lighting, angle or reflection move the photo from the possibility of final elimination to a successful and prestigious art project capable of competing, winning, achieving international presence and worthy of praise from the photographer communities. Participating works foretell promising jumps in the levels of dealing with light. We congratulate the winners and invite the rest of the participants to constantly develop their technical levels and gain more artistic culture and personal confidence through participation in competitions and continuous training.”

Our winner from Indonesia Ratno Prasetyo @momentumphotoservice said, “At the end of 2021, there was a TV show looking for Photographer of the Year. I was among five very creative contestants as photographers, but I didn't win! I realized that I was eager to find a new creative space. Then I found myself in Nikon Indonesia's light painting workshop, led by Pakdhe Sugeng. I was working on making a photo, not just taking a photo. It was like re-learning from the start.

I have won photography competitions many times, such as food and games photography as well as sports, but HIPA is my first international award. I hope this win does not satisfy my passion! I think it's better to keep it burning all the way, that will make me better as a photographer and as a human being too.”

Gaanesh Prasad @gp_canon, our winner from Australia explained, “The photo was taken in "Sydney", Australia, when I found a group of kangaroos on the outskirts of "Sydney" during sunset, the scene forced me to stand aside and get as close as possible, the kangaroo was happy in its mother's pouch while she was busy eating. The lighting conditions were perfect I caught the shot just on time.

I have won some competitions internationally but winning the HIPA competition is a special moment I will cherish for a long time and it gave me an important confidence boost to chase my dream and win the annual competition, I was overjoyed when I saw my name as a winner on the HIPA Instagram page. Photography is my passion and I enjoy every moment I spend capturing the beauty of places, nature, streets and just about everything.”