Quarantine views: 31 of the most striking images from Sharjah's 'Home Captured' photography contest

Abu Dhabi resident Don Ferdinand Tabbun was the final winner of Sharjah’s #HomeCaptured contest, which came to an end on Wednesday, May 27.

The Filipino took home the top prize of $1,000 (Dh3,672) for his submission Sungka Game. The image depicted Sungka, a mancala game from the Philippines whose roots can be traced back to the 17th century. The photograph features Tabbun's son learning to play the traditional board game, as the family stays at home in the capital amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

“We were struck by both the content and concept of this image where the small child has been captured from an unusual perspective,” the judges said. “The narrow aperture provides a good depth of field supported by excellent dynamic range and shadow details.”

Take a look through the photo gallery above to see 31 top submissions from the contest.

This week’s runner-up was Swe Tun, who hails from Myanmar and who received prize-winnings of $750. His contribution was hailed by the judges for its “technical capture with a harmonic fusion of vertical symmetry and horizontal asymmetry supported by a robust contrast and pleasing, yet conservative tonal variation”.

The photo contest is an initiative by Xposure International Photography Festival and Sharjah Government Media Bureau. It has run over the course of six weeks and invited shutterbugs across the world to hone their creative talents and snap images of home life amid the coronavirus. This could include everyday moments in the house or views of the outside world through their windows.

A jury of experts evaluated entries received each week and scored them independently on a five-score system based on composition, technical quality, lighting and creativity.

There were two winners each week, amounting to 12 in total.

Look through the gallery below to see 23 more images from UAE photographers reflecting their feelings on the crisis:

• Remittance charges will be tackled by blockchain

• UAE's monumental and risky Mars Mission to inspire future generations, says minister

• Could the UAE drive India's economy?

• News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it

• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture

• The National announces Future of News journalism competition

• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come