The competition will feature a returning category this year for photographers aged 13-17, as part of its commitment to support youth development.
National Geographic Abu Dhabi (NGAD) and Almarai have launched the 9th edition of Moments, the annual regional photography competition calling all aspiring photographers from around the Arab world.
Moments ranks as one of the most popular competitions in the region, providing talent with wide exposure and the opportunities to learn from National Geographic photography experts through a photography travel expedition.
Held under the theme of Souqs, the 2019 Moments edition invites photographers from the region to capture the diversity and stories of markets from around the Arab world, which have been at the heart of the regions culture and history.
The competition is held in partnership with Almarai, who has been a supporter of this platform for the last 6 years as part of a shared vision of nurturing youth & talent from the Middle East.
Reflecting National Geographic and Almarais commitment to youth development, Moments will feature a returning category this year for photographers aged 13-17.
Almarai, the GCC’s leading dairy industry, has been a partner of National Geographic Abu Dhabis Moments Competition since 2014 and for the sixth year in a row, with a shared vision and commitment to support budding Arab photographers, through offering them exposure and the possibility to be discovered on a platform that has seen over 200,000 accumulated participants.
Commenting on the competition, Abdulrahman Awadh Al Harthi, Acting Executive Director of Television & Executive Director of Abu Dhabi Radio Network at Abu Dhabi Media, said: The Moments Photography competition is part of our continued commitment towards nurturing talents across all segments of society and encouraging the community especially youth to express their creativity and reach their highest potential.
The great success of the competition gives us a new challenge to ensure we reach a largest number of applicants from diverse backgrounds and give them the platform to express their creativity and stories to be shared across the region.
Al Harthi concluded by commending National Geographic Abu Dhabis strive for leadership and influence towards professional and amateur photographers in the region.
Remarking on this years competition, Hussam R. Abdulqader, CMO of Almarai noted: We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with National Geographic Abu Dhabi for the 9th edition of the Moments Photography Competition, through which we aim to inspire, encourage and celebrate youth across the Middle East and support them to achieve their highest potential through the art of photography.
We remain committed to developing the photography industry in the communities we serve, and to providing opportunities for youth to flourish creatively and professionally as we have done across a wide spectrum of platforms as well, Abdulqader concluded.
Attracting over 200,000 entries since its inception from across the Middle East and North Africa, Moments is part of a regional photography talent platform developed by National Geographic Abu Dhabi to promote and nurture local talents and help give them a voice and a platform to showcase the region what theyve got.
This years judging committee will comprise Hussam R. Abdulqader, CMO of Almarai, as well as Muhammed Muheisen, a National Geographic photographer, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, and founder of Dutch non-profit organization Everyday Refugees Foundation.
In this years competition, each story will carry with it an authentic, detailed and complete description of the story behind the image, which aims to add geographic, social and cultural context to the photo. In addition, the integrity and ethics behind the photo will be of the utmost value keeping up with National Geographics Global standards of ensuring images accurately representing cultures, ecosystems, and wildlife.
