Fujairah CP honors winners of FPA

June 03, 2015

Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al Sharqi, the Crown Prince of Fujairah, the awards distribution ceremony of the 5th Fujairah Photography Award (FPA) was held on Wednesday June 3 at Fujairah Concord Hotel. The ceremony was organized by Fujairah Culture and Media Authority (FCMA) and had a great turnout of participants, guests and media people. The 5th edition of FPA had two categories; the local with two themes: "Mountains" and "The Urban Development of Fujairah", and the Arab World category which includes three themes: "General Photography", "Travel and Tourism", and "Nature". FPA grand prize, a Hasselblad luxury camera, went to Filipino photographer Alexander Dizon Arevalo. In the local category, the first prize for the mountains theme was awarded to Emirati photographer Sulaiman Ahmed bin Obaid, second prize won by Michael Rafael Cruz from Philippines, and third prize won by Sugesh Gopal from India. The first prize for the "Urban Development of Fujairah" theme went to Emirati photographer Ibrahim Abdulla Alhammadi. Second prize went to the Emirati Khalid Mohammed Alkendi, and third prize to Ahmed Rashid Al Naqbi, also from the UAE.

Winners of the Arab World Category, general photography theme are: Egyptian Mohamed Abdulnaser Hamamh (1st prize), Palestinian Issam Al Reimawi (2nd prize), and Yemeni Hussain Abdulnoor Al Ahdal (3rd prize). Winners of the travel and tourism theme are: Ismail Mohamed Alfarsi from Sultanate of Oman (1st prize), Galal Rifaat Al Missari from Egypt (2nd prize), and Nader Mohamed Saad Allah from Egypt (3rd prize). Winners of the nature theme are: Ahmed Mohammed Al Touqi from Sultanate of Oman (1st prize), Majid Obaid Al Amri from Sultanate of Oman (2nd prize), and Bassem Shaaban Ibrahim from Egypt (3rd prize). The awards ceremony started with a short documentary about FPA's journey in addition to feedback from participating photographers. FCMA's Executive Director Fatima Yousif said in the welcoming address "we celebrate tonight a distinct visual art form which is photography. Despite the passing of many years since the invention of this magical machine which captures "awe" and eternalizes it at a moment in which time stops, the creativity of photographers still continues. Each photographer has their own unique vision which captures all that is beautiful and exceptional". Yousif added: "Fujairah Photography Award has become today one of the most prestigious local and Arabic awards with an excellent reputation. FPA has attracted the most talented local, Arab and international photographers and entries are increasing year after year. "

She concluded by saying, "The directives of FCMA Chairman H.H. Sheikh Dr. Rashid bin Hamad Al Sharqi had a great impact on the consolidation of the award's presence and continuity in order to support innovators in this field, and promote our Emirate and its amazing geographic diversity through the work of professional photographers from various nationalities". Jassim Al Awadhi, head of FPA Jury, gave the Jury speech and said: "The jury sorted thousands of images which were received from 333 participants both in the Arabic and local categories. There were 157 entries from 15 countries in the Arabic category, and 176 entries from 19 nationalities in the local category". Al Awadhi added: "many workshops and training courses were held at the sidelines of this edition. The purpose of which was to educate participants on aspects of the award and enhance their skills and experiences in the field of photography".

He concluded by saying: "The Jury noticed during this edition that there was a big increase in the rate of GCC participation. This is a positive factor for FPA. Also, there is a quality jump in the Arabic entries which reflects the level Arabic photography had reached in this field". It's worth mentioning that the Fujairah Photography Award was launched in 2007. The first prize is AED 20,000, the second prize is AED 12,000, and the third prize is AED 8,000.