OBAD launches Abu Dhabi photography competition

The competition invites citizens and residents of the UAE to take photographs that they believe reflect the essence of Abu Dhabi. The entry submissions are accepted from 1 September until 31 December 2010.

For the first time, the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi opens new doors for participating in this year’s competition. Entrants are able to submit their entries electronically through the dedicated webpage of the competition within the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi official website. The webpage also includes the winning images of the past two years and all the information and updates on the competition. In addition to updated news about all the activities around the competition from educational trips, workshops and photography seminars. The website also features bi-weekly updated photography tips from talented UAE based photographers.

To ease the entry process, OBAD has doubled the number of drop boxes to forty boxes that will be placed in prominent locations around the UAE. Furthermore, OBAD has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Government Call Centre 800 555 to have more accessibility for the public and be able to obtain more information on the competition.

‘Everyone who lives in the Emirate is an ambassador of Abu Dhabi and we believe that citizens and residents can help bring the brand to life through their creative participation’, said Reem Yousef Al Shemari, General Manager of the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi. ‘We aim to build on the success of 2009 and 2008 that accumulated up to 6000 entries and to extend the communication beyond the competitive aspects into wider educational content about Abu Dhabi Brand and its mission, as well as to provide an opportunity for showcase up-and-coming talented UAE based photographers’, she added.

‘This year we will organize more educational trips, workshops and photography seminars to increase awareness of this initiative. We hope that aspiring entrants to Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes 2010 are able to capture new images that capture the spirit and essence of Abu Dhabi. We will be working hard over the coming months to promote the competition and encourage amateurs and professionals alike to submit their photographs’, she further added.

Ten finalists will be selected by a judging panel which will choose the winning images based on subject relevance, technique, quality and composition. The first prize winner will receive AED 30,000, second prize of AED 25,000, third prize of AED 20,000, fourth prize of AED 15,000 and a fifth prize of AED 12,000. Five semi-finalists will each receive AED 10,000. Winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony early in 2011 and once again, the winners’ work will be selected as part of Abu Dhabi’s evolving visual identity.