American photographer Steve McCurry has won $20,000 in the third annual HIPA competition.
McCurry is the recipient of the Photography Appreciation Award for his “long-standing commitment to enhancing the art of photography”. He has worked as a photographer for more than 30 years, published many books and held countless exhibitions around the world.
HIPA (the Hamdan International Photography Award) also named Australian entrepeneur Dr. Ren Ng as the winner of its $25,000 Photographic Research and Report Award. Dr. Ng is the founder of Lytro, a company that is currently developing light field technology, which allows users to change the focus in a picture after taking a shot, compute a 3D image, and create a hologram from a single exposure.
A spokesperson for HIPA says: “Our winners this season are two of the most pioneering in the history of the photographic industry. We are honoured to announce our special awards winners prior to the grand ceremony. The two special categories are chosen by invitation only.”
This year’s grand ceremony takes place at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) on 17 March.
The photography competition has four categories: General, Black and White, Street Life and the main category and theme, Creating the Future. The prize money totals $389,000 (£232,739), making HIPA the most expensive photography prize in the world.
HIPA was founded by the Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in 2012. “[The competition] demonstrates Dubai’s commitment to encouraging and supporting art, culture and innovation,” say the organisers.
BJP will be reporting from the awards ceremony next week.
For more information about HIPA visit https://hipa.ae/en