Deadline: October 15, 2026
Applications are open for the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) 2026. Water is experienced differently across people, communities and environments. Photography has the power to make these experiences visible – documenting challenges, celebrating solutions and connecting global conversations to real human stories.
In collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) invites photographers from around the world to contribute to this wider conversation by showing how water shapes our world and the people who depend on it.
Categories
This global photography competition invites photographers to submit a story of 5–10 photographs that explores the relationship between:
- Water & People
- Water & Communities
- Water & Planet
- Water & Innovation
- Water & Challenges
Prizes
- 1st prize: $10,000
- 2nd prize: $8,000
- 3rd prize: $5,000
Eligibility
- Participants must be individuals aged 18 years and over, at the time of their submission.
- You may submit 5 to 10 photos.
- You must provide a title and description for your portfolio.
- Submitted photo must have an original file in JPEG format, with high quality and resolution, of a minimum 5 MB in size, the minimum of the longest edge should be no less than 2000 pixel and the quality no less than 300dpi.
- Submission(s) from mobile phones and drones are allowed.
- You are kindly requested to upload the original photo(s) (RAW) or the photo(s) without any editing on the time of submitting the photo(s) to the competition.
- All submitted photo(s) must not contain any tag(s), signature(s), initial(s), frame, border(s), logo(s) or any other references and/or marks added by the participant.
- Basic technical editing of the photo(s) is acceptable, provided that any such editing does not affect the authenticity and/or genuineness of the photo(s). Advanced editing used to create illusions, deceptions and/or manipulations; including compositing and creative retouching of the photo(s) is prohibited.
Application
Submissions are open from 16 September 2026 until 15 October 2026 at 11:59 PM (UAE Standard Time – GMT +4). No submissions will be accepted after the deadline.
For more information, visit HIPA.
