The Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi held an award ceremony to honour the 10 winning finalists of “Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes”

The Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi held an award ceremony to honour the 10 winning finalists of the “Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes” photography competition at ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre) on the 12th of January 2009. H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority, presented the awards to the winners of “Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes” in the attendance of several members of the Executive Council, distinguished guests and winners and their families. The event was followed by the opening of the winning photographs exhibition.

More than 2,000 competition entries were received from over 55 nationalities – representing a diverse range of perspectives and interpretations of Abu Dhabi. Out of which; ten finalists were selected by a judging panel of experts in this field. The judges were empowered to select the competition’s winning images based on subject relevance, technique, quality, and composition.

Following the event opening, OBAD announced an exhibition held at ADNEC, to promote the ten winning images and give the opportunity for people to get introduced to the new additions to the Abu Dhabi brand’s prestigious image collection.

“Each of the winning images has a unique story behind it and reflects Abu Dhabi from a different angle and perspective,” says H.E Reem Al Shemari, General Manager of the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi.

The first place image, winning a grand total of AED 30,000, impressed the judging panel with its remarkable representation of the Al Maqta Bridge. Taken by an Emirati Photographer Omar Abdelrahman Al Zaabi the image was taken at an angle whereby a spectrum of colours enhances the artistic interpretation, giving off a feeling of warmth and welcome.

The rank and profiles of the 10 winning images are as follows:

1st Place: AED 30,000
Omar Abdelrahman Al Zaabi
United Arab Emirates

2nd Place: AED 25,000
Andrew Parsons
United Kingdom

3rd Place: AED 20,000
Hamed Bader Mohammed Musharbak
United Arab Emirates

4th Place: AED 15,000
Ateeq Saif Ghanem Al Suwaidi
United Arab Emirates

5th Place: AED 12,000
Michael Green
United Kingdom

6th Place: AED 10,000
Yuosef Saleem Al Ameer
Jordan

7th Place: AED 10,000
Asghar Khan
Pakistan

8th Place: AED 10,000
Alisadair Miller
United Kingdom

9th Place: AED 10,000
Khawla Sharif Al Haway
United Arab Emirates

10th Place: AED 10,000
Mohammad Saleh Hajjar
Syria

The 10 winning images cover a variety of different categories, which include architecture, landscape, heritage and people. The photography competition invited citizens and residents of the UAE to submit photographs that they believe capture the spirit of the Emirate. The winners work has been selected to be used as part of Abu Dhabi’s evolving visual identity.

OBAD also released a Photographic Collection book during the event to the distinguished guests, containing the ten winning images along with the selected highlights of the competition. This was an opportunity to give photographers a medium for their work to be promoted.

“The attention to detail given by the photographers was remarkable, it was excellent how they all made the effort in representing the essence of Abu Dhabi through their own eyes” added Al Shemari.

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About the Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes Competition

Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, from 1st May – 31st July 2008.

The competition was open to citizens and residents and encouraged people to submit unpublished images that they believe truly capture the sprit of Abu Dhabi.

The objective of this competition is to bring the brand of Abu Dhabi to the public and to engage them in the evolution of the photography library.

Information on the competition is available at www.brand.abudhabi.ae.

About OBAD

To oversee the implementation of the brand of Abu Dhabi a new government entity, the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi was established in 2007 by a resolution of the Chairman of the Executive Council. OBAD’s role is to act as guardian and patron of the brand, and assist the public and private sectors in understanding the brand’s purpose and applications to ensure the Emirate’s image is represented appropriately.

The new brand of Abu Dhabi defines how the Emirate should project itself to the international community as well as guide the interactions of its people locally. Developed over a two-year period, the brand captures the spirit and essence of Abu Dhabi and is relevant across all levels of business, including government, private sector and tourism.

For editorial enquiries please contact:
Khalid J Al Falasi
Communications Manager
Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi
Dir: +971 2 616 1469
khalid.alfalasi@eaa.gov.ae
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