Top 10 images expressing the essence of Abu Dhabi unveiled
Under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes Competition has been held by The Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi (OBAD) for a second year. The competition came to an official end at an awards ceremony at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman of the Board of Etihad Airways and several members of the Executive Council, and more than 250 guests including winners and partners of OBAD.
The Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes 2009 competition invited citizens and residents to submit unpublished images that capture the spirit of the Emirate. The top ten winners will have their work selected as part of Abu Dhabi’s evolving visual identity and will have the honour of their images becoming a part of the overall brand photographic library.
HH Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented awards and prizes to the winning photographers of the top ten images at the awards ceremony that featured fusion music and a display of musicians acrobatically suspended from the high ceilings of Emirates Palace The event was followed by a display of the winning images in a special gallery for guests to enjoy.
The ten finalists were selected after a thorough judging process involving a panel of experts from the fields of photography, advertising and design. Images were judged on subject relevance, technique, quality and composition. Amateur and professional photographers alike submitted images capturing the essence of the Emirate through their own perspective.
The first place winner, Rodney Shane Greene, from the United Kingdom received a cash award of AED 30,000 for his photo titled ’On Golden Sands’. It reflects a fisherman harvesting the sea at dawn in the same way as his forefathers have done for centuries. This image was chosen for its use of light and shadowing and because it reflects the early days of pearl diving to the present day that has been integral to the way of life in the Gulf region, providing sustenance and wealth for centuries.
The winners:
1st Place: AED 30,000 |
6th Place: AED 10,000 |
2nd Place: AED 25,000 |
7th Place: 10,000 |
3rd Place: AED 20,000 |
8th Place: AED 10,000 |
4th Place: AED 15,000 |
9th Place: AED 10,000 |
5th Place: AED 12,000 |
10th Place: AED 10,000 |
OBAD also released its popular ‘Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes 2009’ coffee table book that features the top ten winning images along with a selection of other images from the competition.
