Stunning snapshots of Burj Khalifa and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are among the eye-catching crop of winners in an international photography competition. The world-famous Dubai and Abu Dhabi landmarks were brought into sharp focus during the Huawei Moments Instagram competition, a two-month-long social media quest to unearth photographic talent. Four grand prize winners have been crowned for their celebration of life in the Middle East, in a competition run by organisers of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (Hipa) and Huawei Consumer Business Group. Entrants were asked to submit their best works on Instagram, with hopefuls from 10 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait taking part. The results were certainly Instagram-worthy. The social media showcase covered the themes of People and Culture, Cityscape, Nature and Night Photography, with all pictures taken on Huawei smartphones. A panel of judges from Hipa selected the picture-perfect four grand prize winners from more than 9,000 entries. The winners secured all-expenses paid trips to Iceland. "Photography with smartphones has become a fundamental part of everyday life," said Ali bin Thalith, secretary general of Hipa. "It has become a visual witness, or even a photographic archive of our current day.” As well as images of the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, in Abu Dhabi, a picture of a man spinning yarn and a shot of camels casting a shadow over a vast desert were also rewarded.
