WRDC and The National newspaper launch first photography competition in Al Gharbia

Coinciding with the first 'Al Gharbia Watersports Festival 2009' - scheduled to start on May 1 until May 9, the contest is open to both amateur and professional residents of the UAE.

H.E. Mohamed Hamad Bin Azzan Al Mazrouei, Director General of the Western Region Development Council (WRDC) expressed his enthusiasm about the contest.

"It's an excellent initiative that aims to encourage the youth in Al Gharbia and the UAE to develop their talents whilst capturing the spirit of Al Gharbia's serene beaches and the watersports festival action. The contest has been well received by our partners and we hope our youth, especially those from Al Gharbia, will enjoy it."

The competition requires the contestants to submit images for three entry categories; Adventure, Natural Scenery and Wildlife. The Adventure category involves imagery depicting water sports and outdoor pursuits in Al Gharbia; the natural scenery category is

an opportunity to capture al Gharbia's diverse landscape on film; and the wildlife category requires imagery of Al Gharbia's wild and underwater life.

Entries will be judged by a panel of jury members from WRDC, The National and Emirates Photography Society based on the power of the message delivered about Al Gharbia, relevance to the contest theme and category topic, technical criteria and creativity.

Commenting on the contest, Brian Kerrigan, Photo Editor at The National said: "The National is committed to investing in the creative and media talent of the UAE. Events like this are a great way to inspire young people to think about the environment, participate in sport and develop their creativity. We're delighted to support an event that will encourage creativity and photography skills."

Submission will be accepted from 1st May till the 20th May, where the top three entries of each category will be announced by mid June and will be awarded monetary prizes of Dhs30,000, Dhs20,000 and Dhs10,000 respectively.

Entry forms can be downloaded online or collected from the competition's stand during the Watersports festival in Mirfa.