Italian photographer Gianluca Gianferrari Wins $200,000 Grand Prize for Striking Image of Mount Etna

UAE Secures Two Wins Among Arab Photographers

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) held its 14^th annual awards ceremony, themed ‘Power’, at the Museum of the Future. The event was attended by dignitaries and prominent members of the global photography community.

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Olympic Committee, presented the $200,000 Grand Prize to Italian photographer Gianluca Gianferrari. His photograph captured a dramatic scene of Mount Etna in Sicily, with the earth's interior spewing flames and glowing fragments of lava scattering across pure white snow. The striking contrasts create a celestial mosaic, where colours shift under a night sky embroidered with stars.

Special Awards

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honored the winners of the special awards.

The Appreciation Award was presented to American photographer Rick Smolan in recognition of his distinguished career as a photographer, author and influential speaker. He has received dozens of prestigious awards and accolades, and several of his books are considered highly influential. Smolan has also been instrumental in raising global awareness of important humanitarian issues.

The Content Creator Award went to American photographer and filmmaker Mark Smith, one of the world's leading bird photographers and researchers of bird life and habitats. His work has garnered over two billion views and he is a prominent environmental activist. His publications are widely used to train photographers in bird photography and understanding their complex life cycles.

The HIPA Photographer of the Year Award was granted to Omani photographer Salem Al-Hajri. He is recognised for his projects that tell impactful visual stories aimed at preserving and celebrating Omani and Arab cultural heritage. His work connects ancient traditions with narratives of the present, embodying the region’s rich identity through vibrant and emotionally moving images. Al-Hajri is also committed to providing growth and development opportunities for Omani and Gulf photographers.

Ali Bin Thalith, HIPA’s Secretary General, expressed his gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan for his continued support of HIPA and the art of photography.

He said: “Power is, and always will be, a timeless source of pride and human aspiration. It drives change and transformation; and can inspire just as much as it can intimidate. This season, HIPA received and processed more than 87,000 images from 50,000 photographers.

HIPA has reached every corner of the globe - and the world has reached back. By spreading the culture of photography, elevating its status and securing its place in society, HIPA has succeeded in developing Emirati photographers to the point where international recognition has become a natural extension of their ambitions. It has also maintained its global standing as a leading platform for honouring visual arts and raising awareness of photography’s power to shed light on major global issues.”

Awarding of the ‘POWER’ and ‘General’ Categories

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honoured the winners of the ‘Power’ category. The first place went to the Syrian photographer Hashem Dardowra, followed by the Indian photographer Deepak Singh Dogra in second place, and Australian photographer Scott Portelli in third.

H.H. Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of Frontier 25, presented the ‘General’ category. In the ‘General - Colour’ category, American photographer Karine Aigner won first place, followed by Jack Zhi of the United States in second, Marcin Giba of Poland in third.

In the ‘General - Black and White’ category, Australian photographer Ted Grambeau took the lead, followed by South African photographer Chris Fallows in second place, and Emirati photographer Yousef Bin Shakar Al Zaabi in third.

Awarding of the ‘Portfolio’ Category

H.E. Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture, honoured the winners in the ‘Portfolio’ category. Palestinian photographer Ali Jadallah won first place, followed by Marek Biegalski from Poland in second place, while third place went to Emirati photographer Ammar AlSayed Ahmed.

Awarding of the ‘Sports Photography’ Category

H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, presented the Sports Photography awards. First place went to Vladimir Tadić from Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by German photographer Laci Perényi in second place, and Japanese photographer Masatoshi Ujihara in third place.

Awarding of the ‘Drone (Video)’ Category

His Excellency Abdulrahman bin Mohamed Al Owais, Minister of Federal National Council Affairs and HIPA Chairman, honoured the winners in the ‘Drone (Video)’ category. American photographer Karim Iliya won first place, followed by the Norwegian photographer Chrisander Bergan in second place and Indian photographer Shantha Kumar Nagendran in third.