National Geographic Abu Dhabi and Almarai Company's photomentaries competition receives over 30,000 entries

The competition, the region's only National Geographic photo contest, hosted as part of NGAD's annual Photomentaries month, invited photographers from across the Middle East to celebrate Arab culture by submitting images that are quintessentially Arabic and rooted in the region.

Entries will be judged by award-winning National Geographic photographer, Joe McNally; Mohamed Al Hammadi, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Al Arabiya Magazine, and Hussam Abdulqader, Head of Communications and PR, Almarai Company.

This year the winner will receive the prize of a lifetime - their photograph featured in National Geographic Al Arabiya Magazine, an all-expenses-paid National Geographic Photography Expedition to the Galapagos Islands and photography equipment to the value of $5,000. In addition, the competition's first and second runner-ups will also be gifted photography accessories worth $5,000 and $2,500, respectively. The winners will be announced before May 31, 2013.

The Photomentaries competition, presented by National Geographic Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Almarai Company, was part of NGAD's annual Photomentaries month, which saw two back-to-back episodes featuring National Geographic photographers' exploits aired on National Geographic Abu Dhabi from March 19-April 23 2013.