151 main and 39 student entries have been selected by a panel of Screening Judges for their quality and creativity in capturing the spirit of Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, UAE, September 21, 2016:  Following a rigorous judging process, 190 entries have been shortlisted in the next stage of the “Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes” (ADTYE) competition. The competition received more than 2,000 submissions, including 182 student entries, over the course of the summer. The shortlisted photographers are now vying for the chance to achieve recognition at the competition’s gala awards ceremony on Monday, September 26.

The competition, organised by the Office of Government Communications and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), invited thousands of amateur and professional photographers to share their impression of the unique spirit of Abu Dhabi. Photographers from a wide range of backgrounds went on to capture their personal perspective of the emirate within a single photograph, submitting their entries as a celebration of Abu Dhabi’s culture taken from their perspective. 

Utilizing creativity, skill, and passion, participants were encouraged to explore the emirate through eight categories, covering themes of art, architecture, heritage, people and the natural environment.

From these 190 shortlisted entries, 10 photos will be selected as the winners of the main competition, while 3 winning photos will be specially selected for the Student Awards. There will also special partner awards from National Geographic Al Arabiya & Etihad Airways. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony that will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat on September 26. 

The shortlisted photographs are now available to view online, at www.abudhabitye.com

The photographs submitted for ADTYE are being judged by a venerated panel of professional photographers, including Alia Al Shamsi, photojournalist, artist and poet; Brian Kerrigan, an award-winning visual journalist; Mohammed Somji, co-director of “Gulf Photo Plus”; Lamya Gargash, an Emirati photographer with a Master’s Degree in Communications Design and Tarek Al Ghoussein, professor of photography at NYU Abu Dhabi.

In the “general” submission category, first, second and third-place winners will receive AED 50,000, AED 35,000 and AED 20,000 respectively. Participants ranked fourth to tenth-place will each receive AED 10,000. In the “students” category, first, second and third-place winners will receive AED 15,000, AED 10,000 and AED 5,000 respectively. 

All winners will also receive an assortment of additional prizes from ADTYE competition partners The National, Rotana Hotel Group, Etihad Airways, National Geographic Al Arabiya, Grandstores and Nikon.