Covid-19 doctor's portrait from Brazil wins Hipa grand prize of $120,000 for photography

Theme for the annual competition set up by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan is 'Humanity' this year

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A portrait showing the worn out face of a Covid-19 doctor after eight hours of continuous work in the emergency room, has won the grand prize of the annual Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award.

Brazilian photographer Ary Bassous’s photo of Dr Juliana Ribeiro earned him the $120,000 prize money at the award’s 10th season, titled Humanity.

“The marks on her face share the painful human stories that has consumed the entire world,” according to Hipa, which said the “emotionally-charged photo captures the pain of our world today”.

Scroll through the gallery above for the winners of the the 10th season of Hipa.

Hipa was launched in 2011 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid, the Crown Prince of Dubai, to promote the city’s artistic and cultural projects, as well as encourage the art of photography within the Emirati community.

Awards were also given in categories including Humanity, General and Architectural Photography, while special prizes included Photography Content Creator Award, Emerging Person/Organisation in Photography Award and Photography Appreciation Award.

“With nearly half a million entries received into the award over the years, spanning 203 countries, our photographers continue to inspire us every day” said Ali bin Thalith, Hipa secretary general. "This season, in particular, saw winners from the UAE, Lebanon and Morocco reflect the strength of our Arab photographers and their creative talents that has led them to shine on the international photography stage."

“This season we were humbled by the awe-inspiring and emotionally charged photographs we received that not only dug deep but also unearthed, through photography, the essence of what it means to be human. In these photographs we felt a myriad of emotions ranging from absolute despair to pure kindness and joy.”

Judges for this season included South African photographer Brent Stirton, a senior correspondent for Getty Images and a fellow at the National Geographic Society; Catalin Marin from Romania who is an architectural, interior and lifestyle photographer based in Dubai; Saudi artist, photographer and academic trainer Hanaa Turkistani; Bosnian photographer Ziyah Gafic, an award-winning photojournalist and videographer from Sarajevo; French photographer Eric Bouvet; and American photographer and a co-founder and director of the VII Academy, Gary Knight.

Below is the full list of winners:

Humanity category winners

  • First place: Mads Nissen from Denmark
  • Second place: Ilhan Kilinc from Turkey
  • Third place: Marc Abou Jaoude from Lebanon
  • Fourth place: Fabrizio Maffei from Italy
  • Fifth place: Biplab Hazra from India

General category winners

  • First place: Sameer Al-Doumy from France
  • Second place: Fatima Zahra Cherkaoui from Morocco
  • Third place: Eirik Gronningsaeter from Norway

General category (black and white) winners

  • First place: Giuseppe Cocchieri from Italy
  • Second place: Yadi Setiadi from Indonesia
  • Third place: Bambang Wirawan from Indonesia

Portfolio category winners

  • First place: Florian Ledoux from France
  • Second place: Catalina Gomez Lopez from Spain
  • Third place: Fikret Dilek Uyar from Turkey
  • Fourth place: Yousef Al Habshi Al Hashmi from the UAE
  • Fifth place: Alexander McBride from the UK

Architectural Photography category winners

  • First place: Charles Saswinanto from Indonesia
  • Second place: Amri Arfianto from Indonesia
  • Third place: Lin Jing from China
  • Fourth place: Beatriz Fernandez Mayo from Spain
  • Fifth place: Rahul Bansal from India

Special Award recipients

  • Photography Appreciation Award: American photojournalist Randy Olson for his 30-plus years of leadership in projects and initiatives in more than 50 countries. He is also the founder of The Photo Society, a multi-award-winning initiative dedicated to telling the world’s stories through photography.
  • Photography Content Creator Award: American photographer and biologist Cristina Mittermeier, co-founder of the Conservation Society SeaLegacy, contributing photographer to the National Geographic, featured photographer for Sony and editor of 26 picture books on environmental issues.
  • Emerging Person/Organisation in Photography Award: The International League of Conservation Photographers, a US non-profit that has a mission to support environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography and filmmaking.
Updated: July 26, 2021, 12:22 PM