Bangladeshi Photographer Wins Prestigious $200,000 Hipa Award for Evocative Image of Resilience

A poignant photograph capturing a family finding solace amidst the ruins of their fire-ravaged home has earned Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman the coveted $200,000 grand prize at the 15th Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (Hipa) in Dubai. Rahman was awarded the top honor at the annual competition, which distributed a total of $1 million in prize money to photographers globally. The winning image depicts a family sleeping within the skeletal remains of their home after a devastating fire swept through Korail, a densely populated informal settlement in Dhaka, on November 25, 2025. The blaze, which firefighters battled for 16 hours, destroyed or damaged approximately 1,500 homes, leaving thousands of residents displaced. Many of Korail's inhabitants are low-income families, some of whom have been displaced by climate-related disasters.

The photograph, lauded for its portrayal of resilience in the face of destruction, resonated particularly this year as the competition's theme was 'Family,' aligning with the UAE's designation of 2026 as the Year of the Family. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented Rahman with the grand prize during a ceremony held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence.

Photographers from five continents were recognized across various categories, including family, general photography, portfolios, sports, and artificial intelligence. Ali bin Thalith, Hipa's secretary general, announced that the competition's archive now boasts over one million photographs, contributed by a community of more than half a million photographers from 209 countries, marking the event's fifteenth anniversary.

Notable winners included Emirati photographer Hamid Obaid Al Ali, who secured first place in the Family category for an underwater shot of a crab protecting a cluster of eggs. Saudi photographer Nawaf Alosaimi and India's Subhajit Datta placed second and third, respectively. In the Portfolio category, Palestinian photographer Yousef Alzanoon took first place for his compelling visual storytelling, followed by American photographer Brent Stirton and American astronaut and photographer Don Pettit.

Kuwaiti photographer Faisal Hamada earned second place in Sports Photography, with China's Hongbin Wu and Russia's Kirill Kudryavtsev taking first and third place, respectively. The General category saw Slovakia's Filip Hrebenda win first place for color photography, with Switzerland's Franco Banfi and Italy's Ramiro Torrents in second and third. Australian photographer Jono Allen claimed the top spot in black-and-white photography, ahead of India's Barun Sarkar and Canada's Thomas Vijayan.

The competition also acknowledged the burgeoning role of artificial intelligence in image creation with its Dreams Through AI category, where New Zealand-based photographer Chi Hui Tang secured first place, followed by China's Fan Ho Tsang and Colombia's Bernardo Hernandez.

In recognition of significant contributions to the field, three photographers received special awards. Japanese photographer Kazuyoshi Nomachi was honored with the Appreciation Award for his extensive career documenting remote communities. Syrian photographer Ali Mohamad received the Content Creator Award for making advanced technology accessible to photographers in the Arabic-speaking world. French photojournalist Veronique de Viguerie was named Hipa Photographer of the Year for her impactful documentation of individuals affected by war and conflict.