Australian photographer takes out $120,000USD prize in global photography competition

7 June 2020

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has announced the winners of its annual photography competition, with Australian photographer Jasmine Carey winning the grand prize of $120,000 USD ($172,000 AUD), possibly the richest single cash prize in all of photography.

Grand Prize Winner, Jasmine Carey, Australia, Essence of Life.

Carey's photo of a mother of a Humpback Whale sleeping beside her two-week-old baby was taken in the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific.

Speaking about the image, she said rain was falling while they slept, gently lulling them.

"As we floated and watched them, the sound of the rhythm faded just a little and the ocean calmed just enough for the tranquil pair to rise up, meeting the light rays just starting to break through the surface."

The competition theme for 2020 was 'Water'.

Secretary General, Ali bin Thalith said, "‘Water’, [is] man’s oldest friend on the planet. All the inhabitants of Earth know water, but some fear it. The relationship of a fisherman with water is not like that of someone who does not know how to swim.

We watch today how the creators of the world see water through their lenses; Water, the major issue that concerns us all, and touches our lives and the survival of our planet.”

As well as the Grand Prize, a number of other images were recognised in the Water, General, Portfolio and Mobile photography categories. You can see a selection of them below, and more on the HIPA website.

1st Prize Winner, General – Black and White. Talal Al Rabah, Kuwait.
King of the North. In the northern corner of the globe, on the Norwegian Svalbard Archipelago, a polar bear was walking on an iceberg with the early morning sunlight touching him from behind creating an extraordinary silhouette. — 1st Prize Winner, General – Black and White. Talal Al Rabah, Kuwait. King of the North. In the northern corner of the globe, on the Norwegian Svalbard Archipelago, a polar bear was walking on an iceberg with the early morning sunlight touching him from behind creating an extraordinary silhouette.

2nd Prize Winner, General - Black and White. Anna Niemiec, Poland.
The Silent Witness. Over two-hundred-year-old trees in the center of Szczecin (Poland); silent witnesses of many human stories. An old man strolls through these old trees in the quiet of Autumn, like seasons reflecting a passage of time. — 2nd Prize Winner, General - Black and White. Anna Niemiec, Poland. The Silent Witness. Over two-hundred-year-old trees in the center of Szczecin (Poland); silent witnesses of many human stories. An old man strolls through these old trees in the quiet of Autumn, like seasons reflecting a passage of time.

3rd Prize Winner, General – Black and White. Sujan Sarkar, India.
The Young Dreamers. Children are a symbol of unity and unity can make a positive change. Here the children in their playful mood are delivering this message to the world. They have the power to eradicate many of the curses of this world. The curses of poverty, illiteracy, hunger, pollution, diseases, etc. They have the power to make a better world. Children don't want to protect the environment; they want to create a world where the environment doesn't need to be protected. — 3rd Prize Winner, General – Black and White. Sujan Sarkar, India. The Young Dreamers. Children are a symbol of unity and unity can make a positive change. Here the children in their playful mood are delivering this message to the world. They have the power to eradicate many of the curses of this world. The curses of poverty, illiteracy, hunger, pollution, diseases, etc. They have the power to make a better world. Children don't want to protect the environment; they want to create a world where the environment doesn't need to be protected.

1st Prize Winner, Mobile. Apratim Pal, India. A Journey Outside Our World. In winter, when the flow of water is very low due to ‘Photochemical Reactions’, a moss like structure is formed and causes water pollution. It refers to the blend of such substances in water that invalidates it for use by humans, flora and fauna.
Water pollution affects the whole world as water is the basis of life. A fisherman appears on his boat as if he belongs on the upper deck of the earth and is on a journey beyond our world. — 1st Prize Winner, Mobile. Apratim Pal, India. A Journey Outside Our World. In winter, when the flow of water is very low due to ‘Photochemical Reactions’, a moss like structure is formed and causes water pollution. It refers to the blend of such substances in water that invalidates it for use by humans, flora and fauna. Water pollution affects the whole world as water is the basis of life. A fisherman appears on his boat as if he belongs on the upper deck of the earth and is on a journey beyond our world.

2nd Prize Winner, Mobile. Budi Gunawan, Indonesia. Refection
A crimson sunbird is hovering and quenches its thirst from the flower. This picture was taken approximately 50cm from the bird using artificial light and a reflector. — 2nd Prize Winner, Mobile. Budi Gunawan, Indonesia. Refection A crimson sunbird is hovering and quenches its thirst from the flower. This picture was taken approximately 50cm from the bird using artificial light and a reflector.

3rd Prize Winner, Mobile. Abdullah Alshathri, Saudi Arabia Spirituality of Colors. The Day of Sacrifice, is the tenth day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, during which pilgrims perform certain rituals, including the circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba, where with their movement a wonderful color palette is created.

1st Prize Winner – General - Colour. Fahad Al Enezi, Kuwait. Snow Monalisa. An Arctic fox retrieves its food from an ice hole in Canada. In times of abundance, the fox stores food in separate pits 10cm underground and returns to it when needed to avoid losing its entire supply if another fox finds it.

2nd Prize Winner – General - Colour. Yose Mirza, Indonesia. The Portrait of Sapa. Sapa is a Vietnamese girl living in Nha Trang. She suffers from 'Heterochromia', a condition caused by the increase or decrease in melanin and may be hereditary or the result of a genetic defect. She has unique expressive eyes - one brown and one blue. She is a descendant of the Chams tribe.

3rd Prize Winner – General - Colour. Rashed Al Sumaiti, United Arab Emirates. One Soul Opposite Direction. In the Alaskan wilderness, two bear cubs scavenge for food on a beach. In the perfect moment, they were captured heading in opposite directions but in search of the same thing.

1st Prize winner, Water. François Bogaerts, Belgium, The Downpour.
This photo was taken in Iceland. The waterfall is called 'Dynjandifoss' and is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland (also known as the Fjallfoss or mountain waterfall). With this image, I wanted to capture the beauty of nature and portray how small and insignificant we are compared to this wild nature. By using a slower shutter speed (half a second), the water of the waterfall is shown as a beautiful bridal veil. — 1st Prize winner, Water. François Bogaerts, Belgium, The Downpour. This photo was taken in Iceland. The waterfall is called 'Dynjandifoss' and is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland (also known as the Fjallfoss or mountain waterfall). With this image, I wanted to capture the beauty of nature and portray how small and insignificant we are compared to this wild nature. By using a slower shutter speed (half a second), the water of the waterfall is shown as a beautiful bridal veil.

2nd Prize Winner, Water. Shantha Kumar Samba Shivam Laila, India What a problem! People climb onto buses and cars submerged in flood waters to save themselves during the monsoons in Mumbai, India. Water has always been known as the essence of life, however in the recent past, due to climate change, water or the lack of it has become a destructive force. Droughts, floods, tsunamis have become more common now than ever.

3rd Prize Winner, Water. Buchari Muslim Diken, Indonesia Octopus Hunter. A portrait of a child looking for an octopus around the coast of a fishing village in Ambon, the Maluku islands. The lives of children here rely on the sea, where they are used to doing everything themselves from a very young age.

1st Prize Winner, Portfolio. Christian Vizl Mac Gregor, Mexico. Kingdom of Beauty and Danger. The attraction to the sea makes this photographer a captive of what he can see under the waves. Wandering through the ocean and observing the beauty of the creatures in it, he is communicating with nature directly, always surprised by what he sees. Most people only see these creatures as a source of food but they have voices we can hear and rights we must preserve in the face of danger. Dangers of human destruction of this beautiful environment in several ways - overfishing, pollution, plastic, radiation, climate change and so on.