The Hamdan International Photography Award‘s current season is ending tomorrow, the 31st December 2015, so you have just about a day left to get your images in, should you be interested. With a grand prize of $120,000 and a grand total of $400,000, HIPA has the largest endowment of any photographic prize in the world, and participation to match. This year’s categories are called ‘Happiness’, ‘Wildlife’,
‘Father and Son’ and ‘General’, and participants are free to enter any of their images ever taken except for those that have already won a major competition.

Participating in such high-level competitions can be both rewarding and very humbling. Last year I submitted an image into each of the categories, and while two flunked out in the very first judgement stage and one only made it to the second, the last image proceeded to the third of four judgement stages. Interestingly it was not the one I would have suspected to go far, and my favourite was thrown out right away. C’est la vie. In any case, participation is free and there is nothing to lose, so what are you waiting for?