Deadline: October 15, 2026
HIPA "Water: Our Shared Story" Photography Competition 2026
Organizer
The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA), in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.
Location
A global online photography competition open to photographers worldwide; it is tied to the 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, taking place in Abu Dhabi from December 8–10, 2026.
Deadline
Submissions are open from September 16, 2026 until October 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM (UAE Standard Time, GMT+4); no submissions are accepted after the deadline. Online submissions only via the members page on the HIPA website.
Competition Category
The competition takes the form of a photographic story: each entrant submits one portfolio of 5–10 photographs with a title and a description. Portfolios explore five relationships with water:
01. Water & People;
02. Water & Communities;
03. Water & Planet;
04. Water & Innovation;
05. Water & Challenges.
Eligibility
Open to individual photographers worldwide aged 18 years or over at the time of submission. Works must be original and taken by the entrant; photos from mobile phones and drones are allowed. Technical requirements: high-quality, high-resolution JPEG files of at least 5 MB, with the longest edge no less than 2,000 pixels and at least 300 dpi; original RAW files or unedited photos are requested at submission. Basic technical editing that does not affect authenticity is acceptable, while compositing, creative retouching and other advanced manipulations are prohibited. Images must not contain added tags, signatures, initials, frames, borders or logos, and content must not violate UAE religious, cultural or public-moral standards.
Entry Fee
Free
Prizes/Awards
Total prize money of US$23,000:
- First place: US$10,000;
- Second place: US$8,000;
- Third place: US$5,000.
Winners must provide bank and personal details within seven days of being contacted, and prizes are delivered within two months of the results announcement; any taxes on prizes are borne solely by the winners. Shortlisted/winning works gain exposure and global promotion through HIPA (including a potential winners' exhibition, photobook and promotional materials, under the usage license set out in the rules).
Core Introduction
"Water: Our Shared Story" is a global thematic photography competition launched by HIPA in conjunction with the 2026 UN Water Conference. Water is experienced differently across people, communities and environments, and photography can make those experiences visible — documenting challenges, celebrating solutions, and connecting a global conversation to real human stories. Entrants are asked to submit a photographic story of 5–10 images examining how water shapes lives, economies and ecosystems through the five dimensions of people, communities, the planet, innovation and challenges. The 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal in Abu Dhabi on December 8–10, 2026, aims to accelerate implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The competition is free to enter, open worldwide to photographers aged 18 and over, and offers first, second and third prizes of US$10,000, US$8,000 and US$5,000, with submissions closing on October 15, 2026.
