10 stunning photos taken by people in lockdown for Sharjah's new #HomeCaptured contest

The first two winners in the weekly international #HomeCaptured photography contest, which is running as part of Sharjah’s Xposure International Photography Festival, have been announced.

Fatma Zohra Hamici, who hails from Batna, Algeria, and Hanan Rajab from Bahrain, were the first and second prize winners of the opening week. The pair bagged $1,000 (Dh3,672) and $750, respectively.

Take a look through the photo gallery above to see more stunning submissions from this week.

Hamici's submission, which is entitled Teatime, came in first. The judges said the accolade was for its "highly detailed conceptual composite that demonstrates the photographer's imagination and knowledge of high-speed sync, along with a sound understanding of lighting, use of layers and Photoshop techniques that were required in this image".

Rajab's entry is called Wish, and it portrays a child's desire to go outside and play during a time when we're all self isolating due to the coronavirus pandemic. The judges said it "captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrop and framing".

What is #HomeCaptured and how can you enter?

The annual photo contest, which is open to amateur and professional photographers across the world, will this year run for as long as the world’s lockdown periods continue. The judges will announce winners weekly, with a cash prize being offered to the top two entries.

Images can be taken using any camera people have to hand, and anyone who wants to enter needs to abide by a few simple rules: you need to upload your entry to stayhome.xposure.ae in jpg format; the image must have been taken from within the confines of your own home; and you can submit one photograph every 24 hours throughout the duration of the contest. Only photos taken after Wednesday, April 1 will be eligible.

The winners are chosen by an independent jury, which evaluates the entries based on a five-score system that considers composition, technical quality and lighting.

Winners are notified by email and their images are published on Xposure’s dedicated StayHome website, as well as its social media platforms.

As long as you stay home, you can let your imagination run wild over what you can capture. “A decorative item you may not have noticed before; an adorable peculiarity of your pet; the way your child moves around at home; how the eyes of a loved one crinkles as they laugh; or the sudden silence or infrequent movement on the empty streets outside, which bustled with activity not so long ago,” an official statement reads.

“In this competition, your subject is only limited by your imagination.”