Works of UAE photographers showcasing the beauty and diversity of the region shine among winners

Huawei’s annual smartphone photography competition, HUAWEI NEXT IMAGE Awards 2022, concluded on December 30^th with the unveiling of 54 prize-winning works, which included 3 Grand Prize Winners, 24 Best-in-Category Winners, and 27 Runner-up Winners. The NEXT IMAGE Awards 2022 kicked off on August 1^st last year and remained open for more than three months and received thousands of entries from around the world. Regional photographers have made a strong showing in the competition. This year, out of the 54-winning works, 6 represent the Middle East and Africa region, including two talented photographers from UAE: Mark Anthony Agtay (Best in Storyboard Category Winner), Christopher C. Comeso (Runner-Up winner Sports Category) and Junaid Jafar (Runner-up Winners Portrait Category). 

Smartphones have revolutionised the way people take pictures. As smartphone cameras get better year after year, people are relying less and less on digital cameras. According to some studies, more than 85% of photos are being taken with smartphones, and their share is only going to go up. The compact size and flexibility smartphones offer over traditional cameras help photography enthusiasts push the boundaries of this art form. Moreover, smartphones level the playing field for amateur photographers to compete against professionals with years of experience under their belt. HUAWEI NEXT IMAGE Awards have helped close this gap even further over the years.

Celebrating the beauty and diversity of the region 

In 2022 four photographers from the MEA region won the best-in-category awards, and two others were runner-up winners. Besides winning the award, these photographers also do an excellent job of showcasing the diversity and charm of the region’s rich culture. Their photographs highlight the unique perspectives and stories these cultures have to offer the world. The winner in the Storyboard category is Mark Anthony Agtay from Abu-Dhabi, with a series of nine photographs beautifully depicting interesting and diverse ways people use their hands in their day-to-day lives. These pictures are thought provoking and benefit from the clever use of colours. 

©Mark Anthony Agtay 

(United Arab Emirates)

“Working Hands” 

Shot on HUAWEI Mate20 Pro 

Storyboard

Best-in-Category Winner

Mark Anthony expressed his excitement for the recognition of his work, stating, “I feel overwhelmed about winning Storyboard Best-in-Category Prize in NEXT IMAGE 2022. I have been submitting my work for over the past years, and I finally won this time. I am very grateful for this recognition by the judges’ panel. My vision for this project was simple; to show how important our hands are in our daily lives. Without them, it’s hard for us to carry out everyday tasks. I developed this set of images shot on HUAWEI Mate20 Pro specifically for this competition because I felt that submitting a new and unique project is the key to winning.”

The runner-up winners in the Portrait and Sports categories Junaid Jafar and Christopher C. Comeso are also from UAE with their works celebrating the uniqueness and beauty of UAE’s diverse community with the creativity of their HAUWEI Mate40 Pro and HUAWWEI P50 Pro lenses.

©Junaid Jafar (United Arab Emirates)

Beautiful Soul | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro | Portrait | Runner-up Winner

“In February 2022, we had a short trip organised by our university. We visited our region’s electric grid station and were also given an opportunity to take photos. Taking photos was one of my favourite parts, and it was a very beautiful place, so my colleagues and I took many photos. When we were getting back to the bus, I saw this adorable little girl standing in our way. We took portraits of her and offered her some food. In the end, we had to say goodbye to this “Beautiful Soul.” – Junaid Jafar

“It’s a game ball, a 5 on 5 game with this group of Filipino playing at Abu Dhabi’s Corniche Court.” ©Christopher C. Comeso (United Arab Emirates)

5 on 5 | Shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro | Sports | Runner-up Winner

The HUAWEI NEXT IMAGE Awards aims to inspire ordinary users to capture important life moments through mobile photography. Since its launch in 2017, the HUAWEI NEXT IMAGE Awards has served as a unique showcase for outstanding photography works by Huawei mobile phone users. The competition will continue to inspire and engage with talented mobile phone users as Huawei introduces innovative mobile imaging technologies and experiences.

“Smartphone photography is a great way to improve one’s photography skills, especially for beginners, because smartphones are easier to use. I chose HUAWEI Mate20 Pro because of its amazing design and camera. The recent Huawei smartphones are also great and amaze me with their new features, like the cameras and design of the HUAWEI Mate50 Pro. It is one of the best smartphones to have for a photographer like myself,” Mark Anthony Agtay added. The talented photographer from Abu Dhabi also expressed his intent to continue participating in the competition to support HUAWEI NEXT IMAGE Awards.

As Huawei continues innovating in mobile photography, driving art with technology, they officially launched a new brand, XMAGE, on July 2nd, 2022, which represented a new milestone and breakthrough in Huawei’s photography capabilities. Huawei XMAGE will serve as a key driver of new technologies and imaging paradigms. In the future, Huawei will continue technological innovation and design new shooting experiences for global Huawei mobile users.

The HUAWEI NEXT IMAGE Awards 2022 featured nine categories of submissions: Art & Fashion, Outdoor, Portrait, Sport, Hello Life, Storyboard, Action, Storytelling Short Film, and Storytelling Long Film, with Best-in-Category and Runner-up Winners selected for each. Each of the three works recognised as the Grand Prize Winners will receive a $10,000 USD cash prize to encourage them in their future artistic endeavours. Similarly, each of the 24 Best-in-Category Winners will receive a NEXT IMAGE Creative Fund prize of $1,500 USD, and each of the 27 Runner-up Winners will receive the HUAWEI P50 Pro.