Meraas, a leading Dubai-based holding company dedicated to making Dubai and the UAE better for people to live, work and play in, in partnership with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), announced the winners of the 2018 Urban Pixels photography competition during a gala award ceremony at La Mer.

This year’s contest revolved around three themes – Year of Zayed, Street Food and Dining, and Happiness. A jury consisting of Khalil Abdulwahid, Director of Arts at Dubai Culture, and renowned Emirati photographers Jassim Al Awadhi and Mohamed Al Marzooqi selected three winners for each category and awarded unique prizes each.

Riyas Muhammed, Arian Glenn Marcos and Sherwin Flores were awarded in the Year of Zayed category; the winners in the Street Food and Dining category were Ervis Theodhori, Roger Alfonso, Aurelie Ng Cheong Tin whilst Ervis Theodhori, Cher Ghadi and Saida Rasulova were honoured within the Happiness category. The winning photographers were presented with Huawei Mate 10 Pro 4G Dual Sim Smartphone 128GB, HERO6 Black With Smatree 9-in-1 Bundle, ExoLens® with Optics by ZEISS Wide-Angle Lens System for iPhone.

After opening the votes to the public, the most liked photo was taken by Laeticia Ghosn who was honoured with the People’s Choice award.

Urban Pixels encourages discovery through creativity. The annual competition aims to inspire amateur shutterbugs to showcase their skills through capturing their favourite moments – whether commemorating the Year of Zayed, exploring the rich heritage of the UAE, spending a casual day out at Boxpark, La Mer, The Beach, Al Seef or Kite Beach or finally finding that perfect outfit at City Walk or The Outlet Village – through candid photography.

UAE-based photography experts, including Mohamed Al Balooshi, Roudha Al Sayegh, Majed AlKatheeri, Khaled Alkendi, Ayesha Abbasi and Ahmad Al-Khazraji – partnered with Meraas this year and hosted 13 workshops across its various destinations. The workshops focused on various topics such as the basics of photography, secrets of wildlife photography, women in landscape, light and shadow. A local photo enthusiasts’ favourite was the Architectural Photo Walk by Khalid Al Hammadi along with the Wild Walk conducted by Ahmad Al Zarouni which took place at City Walk.

Presenting a wealth of unique perspectives, the entries celebrated stories from all walks of life. The ten winning photographs along with the next top 20 shortlisted entries are on display for public viewing exclusively at La Mer until 23 May.