HIPA Water: Our Shared Story Photography Competition 2026

HIPA Water: Our Shared Story is a special photography competition from the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, known as HIPA. Based in Dubai, HIPA runs one of the best-funded photography awards in the world, and this themed edition is organised together with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The competition is linked to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, which the United Arab Emirates and Senegal co-host in Abu Dhabi from 8 to 10 December 2026. The conference focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 6: making clean water and sanitation available and sustainably managed for everyone. HIPA's call asks photographers to show, through their own images, what water means to people and to the planet.

Unlike most photo contests, HIPA Water asks for a story rather than a single image. Each photographer submits a portfolio of five to ten photographs with a title and description. Entry is free, and the three best stories share $23,000 in prize money.

Who Can Enter HIPA Water?

The competition is open to individual photographers anywhere in the world who are at least 18 years old when they submit. Professionals and amateurs compete on the same terms, and photographs taken with mobile phones and drones are accepted.

It is particularly relevant to:

• Documentary photographers and photojournalists
• Environmental, travel and landscape photographers
• Photographers working with communities, farmers or fishers
• Photographers covering climate, drought, floods or water technology
• Mobile and drone photographers with a strong narrative

What Can You Enter?

Each entrant submits one portfolio: a photo story of five to ten images. The story must respond to the theme "Water: Our Shared Story" and can focus on one or more of five relationships.

Water & People

How individuals live with water: daily routines, work, health, rituals and personal stories.

Water & Communities

How villages, cities and groups share, manage, celebrate or struggle over water.

Water & Planet

Rivers, oceans, glaciers, wetlands and the ecosystems that depend on them.

Water & Innovation

New technologies and ideas for cleaning, saving, desalinating or distributing water.

Water & Challenges

Scarcity, pollution, floods, drought and the effects of climate change.

Entry Fees

Entry is free.

What Do Selected Entrants Receive?

• First place: $10,000
• Second place: $8,000
• Third place: $5,000

Winners must send their bank and personal details within seven days of being contacted, and prizes are paid within two months of the announcement. Any taxes on the prize are the winner's responsibility.

Submission Requirements

Portfolio

• Five to ten photographs that form one story
• A title and a description for the story; the description should explain where, when and what the images show

File Specifications

• Original JPEG files
• At least 5 MB per file
• At least 2,000 pixels on the longest side
• At least 300 DPI
• No tags, signatures, initials, frames, borders or logos on the images

Original Files

HIPA asks photographers to upload the original RAW files or unedited versions of the images where possible. Entrants who reach the final stage should expect to provide them.

Important Rules

• Only basic technical editing is allowed, such as exposure, contrast and cropping, as long as the image stays authentic.
• Compositing, creative retouching and any editing that creates an illusion or deception are not allowed.
• Images must not contain nudity, violence or content contrary to UAE religious, cultural or public morals.
• If identifiable people, artworks or private property appear in the images, HIPA may ask for model releases or permissions within seven calendar days.
• Photographs that reach the final stage may be used by HIPA, without payment, to promote the competition. Winners grant wider rights for exhibitions and books.
• The judging panel's decisions are final, and HIPA can reject any entry without explanation.
• The competition is governed by the laws of Dubai and the UAE.

When Will Entrants Be Notified?

The HIPA team contacts the winners directly. The results timetable is announced by HIPA; follow the official competition page and HIPA's channels after the deadline.

Things to Consider

• Edit hard. Ten images is the maximum, not the target. A tight sequence of six or seven often reads more clearly than ten that repeat each other.
• Build a narrative. Open with an image that sets the scene, add close details and portraits in the middle, and end with a picture that resolves the story.
• Write the description carefully. The jury cannot follow a story it does not understand. Say who, where, when and why.
• Check file sizes early. Each file must be at least 5 MB and 2,000 pixels on the long side; small exports or social media copies will not qualify.
• Get permissions in advance. If your story features recognisable people, ask for model releases now rather than after you reach the final.
• Keep your RAW files together. You may be asked for them at short notice.
• Submit before the last day. The deadline is in UAE time, which is ahead of Europe and the Americas.

Enter the Competition

Interested in submitting your work?

Enter HIPA Water: Our Shared Story

For the complete terms and conditions, file specifications and the submission form, visit the official HIPA competition page.

Looking for more open calls? Browse all competitions and opportunities on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 2, 2026