HIPA Water: Our Shared Story Photography Competition 2026 is a global photography initiative organized by the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 2026 United Nations Water Conference. It uses photography to explore how water shapes lives, communities, economies, and ecosystems.
The competition invites photographic stories comprising 5–10 images that examine relationships between water and people, communities, the planet, innovation, and challenges. Each portfolio must include a title and description, encouraging entrants to develop a coherent visual narrative rather than submit a single standalone photograph.
The initiative connects personal and community experiences of water with the wider international conversation surrounding the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, which will take place in Abu Dhabi from December 8–10, 2026. Through documentary and visual storytelling, the competition seeks to make water-related challenges, solutions, and human experiences more visible while contributing to discussion around Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation.
Entry fee: No entry fee.
Eligibility
Open to individual photographers worldwide aged 18 or over submitting an original portfolio of 5–10 photographs created or taken by themselves, with any required third-party permissions; original RAW or unedited files are requested, basic technical editing is allowed, while compositing, creative retouching and other advanced manipulation are prohibited, and submitted images must not contain added tags, signatures, frames, borders or logos.
Prize
First place receives US$10,000, second place receives US$8,000, and third place receives US$5,000; winners are required to provide requested personal and bank details within seven days, and prizes are to be delivered within two months following the announcement of the results.