Winners of spaces of light photography competition are honored in Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center awarded the winners of the third season of Spaces of Light photography competition at a special ceremony held at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Prizes amounting to AED 250,000 were presented to six winners, three in each two categories. The event celebrated the art and aesthetics of architecture in Abu Dhabi. Sultan Dahi Al Humairi, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs for the Support Services Sector and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center presented the awards and commemorative shields to the winners, who hailed from Malaysia, Kuwait, Iraq, Belarus, Slovenia and the Philippines. The winners in each category were awarded AED 40,000, and a professional camera, while the runners up and second runners up each received AED 30,000 and AED 20,000 respectively. Additionally, the Emirates Palace, the architectural beauty of which was one of the categories in the competition, honored the winners with numerous prizes including 2 Nights Stay for two in the hotel. Edmond Teng Wei Ping from Malaysia won the first place in the general category Islamic Architectural Beauty of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Ahmad Abdul Redha Abdullah Akbar from Kuwait came second while Shoaib Hisham Khatab took the third place. Victoria Venkaba of Belarus bagged the first prize in the specific category Architectural Beauty of the Emirates Palace. Beno Saradzic from Slovenia and Mary Grace from the Philippines became second and third respectively. Yousif Al Obaidli, Director of the SZGMC, said, "The Spaces of Light Photography Competition, since its launch in October 2010, has made steady and confident steps towards success. The third season of this competition reinforced its global outlook, spreading the message of love and tolerance as envisaged by the founder of the UAE the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and continued by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. He informed that there were a total of 5500 entries in this season from more than 70 countries; 4100 were in the general category and 1400 in the specific category. More than 5000 people visited the website to make enquiries. There was an increase of 1000 participants in this season compared to 566 in the last, which drew in 500 entries from 50 countries. This shows a growing interest among photography enthusiasts around the world to showcase their talent against the backdrop of our culture and heritage. He thanked H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, for his unlimited support for the SZGMC and all of its activities and events which contributed to its emergence as one of the most important and visited cultural tourism destinations in the region. He also thanked the organizing committee and the judges of the competition and congratulated the winners wishing them the best in future. Mohamed Al Marzouqi, on behalf of the judging committee, said: "The third season of the competition Spaces of Light was distinct in its methods and projection compared to the previous seasons. Three workshops were conducted this season which were attended by the members of the judging committee as well." He stressed that the judging committee reviewed the entries in a truly professional manner evaluating the technical and aesthetic quality of the images. The results of all the stages of the voting conducted by the judges were evenly matched. During the award ceremony a documentary film about the Mosque narrating the history of its foundation in 1996 was screened. Scenes from the workshops as well as the winning images of the second season of the Spaces of Light were also shown. Sultan Dahi Al Humairi honored Dr. Jassim Al Awadi, Chairman of the Judging Committee, Adib Shaban, Mohamed Al Marzouqi and Omar Al Zaabi, who were members of the Committee. He opened the photography exhibition located in the lobby of the Emirates Palace which would last until 17August 2013. The exhibition showcases winning entries of the third season of the Spaces of Light as well as some images selected by the judging committee. Spaces of Light third season was launched on March 3 this year under the theme "Arts and Aesthetics of Architecture in Abu Dhabi". The competition in its first and second seasons focused only on the Art of Islamic Architecture in the Mosque. This year Emirates Palace was also included as a specific category.