The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the November edition of its Instagram Photo Contest themed ‘Time-lapse (Video)’. Five winners were announced for the competition, which received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_Timelapse.

The contest winners are from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Ukraine, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The winner from the Saudi Arabia Youssef Ahmed Bajjash, said, “The video was created in the holy city of Mecca over several years. The idea is to show the holy city of Mecca as one of the global cities that does not sleep either day or night. I tasted winning before, but winning this international competition gave me an overwhelming joy mixed with some confidence in winning. I aspire to show my artwork as a photographer to the whole world, and this win will greatly help me in my career and my future ambitions.”

Mustafa Ahmed, the winner from Syria, said, “The video was created at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi. On every visit to the mosque the workers would draw my attention to their activities and continuous work. This is my fifth win through social media platforms, but it is honestly the most important one for me. I have already won 35 local, Arab and international awards, but my dream is to win the HIPA Award.”

HIPA Secretary General, Ali bin Thalith said, “Photography continues to develop and innovate, creating even more techniques photographers may use to tell a story. Time-lapse tells a story through a series of frames skillfully composed by our talented photographers; both amateurs and veterans. We were pleased with the notable presence of Arabic talent amongst our winners, and congratulate all our winners on their breathtaking submissions.”