National Geographic Abu Dhabi honours the winners of "Arab Cities: Through Your Eyes" in 21,000 images

The 2015 edition, in partnership with Al Marai, showcases Arab photography talent across the Middle East

Dubai, UAE, 26 August 2015: In a highly-attended ceremony held last night at Dubai's Pavilion Hotel, National Geographic Abu Dhabi honoured the three winners of the Moments Awards 2015. This year's theme was "Arab Cities: The City Through Your Eyes " and featured Al Marai's partnership for the second year running.

This platform has established itself as a premier such event, accumulating over its past five editions over 150,000 participants. Over time, it has revealed Arab talents through some of the most visually striking and highly emotional pictures taken by photographers from all walks of life throughout the Middle East and the Maghreb.

This year's winners were selected among 21,000 participants from the MENA region, with Hussein Mahmoud Mohamed taking first place for his unique depiction of Nubian traditional architecture and attire in Aswan. Second place winner, Ahmed Sayed Abdellatef Abdelhamed, was rewarded for his emotionally charged photograph of Iftar participants to a table set up for the poor and needy in Cairo during Ramadan, while Ahmed Baidou's vibrant depiction of the Sidi Ifni festival in South Morocco came in third.

"Photography excellence is in National Geographic's DNA, and has established its reputation for decades", said Sanjay Raina, general manager, FOX International Channels Middle East. "Our Moments Awards inscribe themselves naturally into this tradition, and help bring out the emotions, authenticity and artistry of the region. We are also honoured to have with us, for the second year running, Al Marai, who share our vision and commitment to the region's aspiring talent, and have joined us to bring out the magnificent talent & beauty that is revealed through Moments.

"The extremely high number of participants from across the MENA region this year reveals the vibrancy of their perception of life in their cities. It speaks highly of the quality of talent and art in the region”, added Hussam Abdulqader, head of communications and PR, Almarai. "We truly believe that the emotions displayed in the submissions are testimony to the passion and artistry of the young generation. We encourage all participants in expressing their visions and Moments is a significant platform for this," he said.

The first prize consists of an 11-day photography expedition to Tanzania, as well as photography equipment equivalent to USD 7,500. The second and third place winners received photography hampers worth USD 5,000 and USD 2,500 respectively. 

National Geographic Abu Dhabi has been operational for the past six years as the first National Geographic Channel throughout the network as a free to air, Arabic channel and reaches almost 50 million households across the MENA region. "We want to remain true to our mission of delivering the best factual entertainment & locally relevant content", said Raina in his closing remarks. "We have become part of our audience's fabric and daily life. Our Moments Awards are therefore a natural extension of our outreach and we are happy to see that this manifestation has struck a chord in the hearts and souls of the region's youth". 

The theme of the next Moments Awards is due to be announced in the coming weeks, and participation to the next edition should top 25,000 entrants.