National Geographic Abu Dhabi has announced the launch of the 10th annual Moments photography competition, a prize that shines a light on life around the Mena region.
Click through the gallery above to see Moments winners from previous years.
The theme of this year's competition is 2020 Moments, which National Geographic Abu Dhabi hopes will "perfectly capture the overall moods, sentiments and unique experiences we all shared and experienced this year".
Not just for expert photographers, the competition is open to budding artists and novices looking to challenge themselves.
The competition opened on Monday, August 17, and applicants can submit their entry until Thursday, October 15. Entrants can submit up to 10 images to the website.
"Whether taken with a phone or professional camera, entrants are encouraged to use their creative lens to narrate visual stories that best define a world that has been hushed, paused and forever changed following recent events," National Geographic Abu Dhabi said.
The competition is held to promote and nurture local photography talent. Since it launched in 2010, the competition has had more than 250,000 entries submitted across the Mena region.
The 2020 competition's judging panel will include Muhammed Muheisen, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and National Geographic photographer, and Almarai's Hussam R Abdulqader.
For more information, visit www.natgeo-moments.com
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
