The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has announced the winners of the inaugural Dhay Photography Competition, marking a powerful new chapter in the Centre’s ongoing commitment to visual storytelling and cultural dialogue. Conceived as a platform for artistic exploration, the competition invited photographers from around the world to interpret a single, evocative theme: Reflection. The response was overwhelming, underscoring photography’s enduring ability to connect people, places, and perspectives across borders.
A Global Response to a Universal Theme
The first edition of the Dhay Photography Competition attracted wide international participation, drawing more than 700 photographers from across the globe. In total, 971 photographs were submitted, each offering a distinct visual meditation on reflection as both a physical phenomenon and a metaphorical idea. From mirrored architecture to quiet moments of self-contemplation, the entries revealed how a simple concept can yield limitless creative interpretations.
Participants explored reflection through water, glass, marble, metals, mirrors, and other surfaces, transforming everyday materials into tools for artistic expression. Many works balanced technical mastery with emotional depth, presenting scenes that resonated with stillness, symmetry, and human presence. The collective body of submissions reflected a high level of aesthetic sophistication and a shared curiosity about how light, space, and perspective intersect.
Celebrating the Winners
After careful evaluation by a specialized judging panel, three photographers emerged as the top winners of the inaugural edition. Adarsh Kuruvath from the Republic of India secured first place with a photograph that stood out for its refined composition and thoughtful engagement with the theme. His work demonstrated a keen sensitivity to light and form, capturing reflection not merely as a visual effect but as an emotional experience.
Second place was awarded to Alisha Bamrel Sarki of the Republic of Nepal, whose photograph impressed the jury with its balance of creativity and narrative clarity. Her work offered a fresh perspective on reflection, combining technical precision with an intimate sense of place. Third place went to Riyas Kulangarakath, also from India, whose submission showcased a compelling interplay between structure and symbolism, reinforcing the competition’s emphasis on artistic depth.
Together, the winning photographs exemplified the competition’s core values: originality, visual harmony, and the ability to communicate universal ideas through a single frame.
Reflection as Artistic and Human Expression
The theme of Reflection served as an open invitation for photographers to look outward and inward at the same time. Many participants used reflective surfaces to create layered images that blurred the boundaries between reality and perception. Others focused on human figures, capturing moments of introspection that suggested memory, identity, and spiritual awareness.
This diversity of approaches highlighted photography’s role as a shared language. Regardless of cultural background or geographic location, contributors engaged with reflection in ways that felt both personal and collective. The result was a global visual conversation, one that aligned closely with the Centre’s mission to foster understanding through art.
An Extension of a Celebrated Legacy
The Dhay Photography Competition is positioned as an artistic extension of the long-established Spaces of Light Photography Award. Through this new initiative, the Centre expanded its creative outreach while maintaining the same commitment to excellence and inclusivity. The competition reflects the belief that photography transcends words, offering a medium through which cultures and communities can meet on equal ground.
Since its launch, the Spaces of Light Photography Award has completed eight editions, attracting more than 12,300 photographers from over 70 countries and receiving nearly 30,000 submissions. By introducing Dhay as a complementary platform, the Centre has created additional space for emerging and established photographers to share their visions and engage with meaningful themes.
The Role of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre
As a cultural institution, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has consistently used art and architecture as bridges between tradition and contemporary expression. Through exhibitions, awards, and creative initiatives, the Centre encourages dialogue rooted in respect, beauty, and shared human values. The Dhay Photography Competition reflects this philosophy by inviting participants to observe the world with attentiveness and empathy.
By anchoring the competition in a theme as universal as reflection, the Centre reinforced its role as a convener of global creativity. The initiative also highlighted the mosque’s architectural and spiritual significance as a source of inspiration, even when not directly depicted in the submitted works.
Looking Ahead to the Next Edition
Building on the success of its inaugural year, the Centre has announced that the second edition of the Dhay Photography Competition will be launched during the holy month of Ramadan. The upcoming theme will focus on capturing the atmosphere and spiritual essence of the blessed month, offering photographers a chance to document moments of devotion, community, and quiet reflection.
Further details regarding participation and submission guidelines will be announced in due course. Interested photographers are encouraged to follow official updates to stay informed about entry requirements and timelines. With the strong response to the first edition, expectations are high for another season of compelling visual storytelling.
A Platform That Connects Cultures
The success of the first Dhay Photography Competition confirms a growing global appetite for artistic platforms that prioritize meaning as much as technique. By welcoming photographers from diverse backgrounds and encouraging thoughtful engagement with a shared theme, the competition demonstrated how images can transcend language and geography.
More than a contest, Dhay has emerged as a space for connection. It invites photographers to pause, observe, and translate moments of reflection into visual form. In doing so, it reinforces photography’s power to reveal common threads of humanity, even in a world shaped by difference.
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