Your last chance to win your share of $1 million prize fund in the world's biggest photo awards

HIPA 2025 theme announcement
(Image credit: HIPA / Myat Zaw Hein)

A competition with a US$1,000,000 cash prize pool? Yes, you heard right, the Hamdan International Photography Awards (HIPA) are renowned for being the world's richest photography contest by doubling its prize fund from last year's contest.

This year, the Grand Prize winner will receive an incredible cash prize of US$200,000. There's still time to submit your images centered around the theme Power until May 31, 2025, and it's free to enter!

HIPA was founded in 2011 and welcomes any photographer, professional or amateur, from anywhere in the world, aged 18 or over.

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Alongside the main Power theme, separate prizes will be awarded. The General Category includes two subcategories: Colour and Black and White. Other categories are: Drone (Video), Portfolio (Storytelling), Sports Photography, and General, and will also be awarded.

New this year is HIPA's Photographer of the Year award. The award celebrates photographic works that were created over 12 months. The focus here is not solely on artistic talent but also on creating socially relevant imagery. This award will earn the winner not just recognition but a fabulous prize of US$80,000.

HIPA Secretary General Ali Khalifa Bin Thalith said about the Photographer of the Year Award, "This award is for photographers deeply committed to meaningful, long-term projects—those whose lenses capture not just beauty, but significance."

Along with the Photographer of the Year Award, HIPA will present two other Special Awards this season: The 'Photography Appreciation Award' and the 'Photography Content Creator Award'.

Keep in mind that the final day to participate is May 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM (UAE local time - GMT+4). To see the full details and to enter the competition, see the HIPA 2025 website.

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You might be interested HIPA winners, and you can have a look at their work here. For more inspiration, browse the best photography awards and contests.

Kim Bunermann
News Editor

Kim is a photographer, editor and writer with work published internationally. She holds a Master's degree in Photography and Media and was formerly Technique Editor at Digital Photographer, focusing on the art and science of photography. Kim covers everything from breaking industry news and camera gear to the stories shaping photography today. Blending technical expertise with visual insight, she explores photography's time-honored yet ever-evolving role in culture. 

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