Syrian photographer wins 7th HIPA Grand Prize of $120,000

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian photographer Mohamed Alragheb has won the $120,000 Grand Prize in the seventh annual Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA). The photographer was unable to attend the awards due to the ongoing hostilities in Syria. However, one of the subjects of the photograph, fellow photojournalist Abd Alkader Habak, received the prize on his behalf, and was given a special merit award for an extraordinary act of bravery, PND Pulse reports.

The events that lead to the photograph unfolded April 2017, in the Rashideen neighborhood in Western Aleppo. Both Habak and Alragheb were documenting a people exchange down a peace corridor that had been allowed under ceasefire, when a massive explosion occurred near the two photojournalists. Habak returned four times to the scene of the explosion to remove injured parties as a result of this car bomb. In the winning image, Habak is seen running away from a recently exploded car carrying a severely injured child, his camera still hanging about his neck.

Communicating from Syria, Alragheb had this reaction to winning the Grand Prize. “First of all, I would like to thank the patrons of HIPA for the chance to showcase my photograph as a winner of this competition to the rest of the world. This award can be considered one of the biggest milestones in my life, despite my young age.”

On the impact of the award he said: “I hope that my win will give me more chances and opportunities in photography and that I will continue to seek success in all avenues of the artform." Asked about his brave colleague, he said: “I would like to say that Alkader Habak represents a true Syrian revolutionary with his strong touch of humanity and his determination and drive to help others in need.”

Asked how the prize will affect him personally, the winner stated: “It will drive me to capture more powerful photographs and improve my skills as a photographer in the difficult circumstances we are currently experiencing in Syria”.

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award was established by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, in 2011. The theme of the 2019 Awards will be “Hope”.