Seeking to reveal the artistic side of the Emirati heritage, and reflecting the true image of the Bedouin life mixed with the desert sand, the 6th edition of Al Dhafra Festival, which begins on the 15th of December and lasts until the 29th, will host the photography Competition, as usual. The competition is an annual event organized by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism & Culture (TCA, Abu Dhabi).

The Photography Competition, which is held under the supervision of the Emirates Photography Competition, is organized annually by TCA, Abu Dhabi. It is part of the Authoritys strategy to support the artistic and cultural movement in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, preserve heritage, document it systematically and submit it to the recipient by all means of modern technology.

Through attracting important names in the field of photography, the Competition has been able to convey a clear and true picture of the popular Emirati heritage, its tools and habits to the whole world.

Like the other competitions of the Al Dhafra Festival, a number of conditions were set for submission and participation in the Photography Competition. Mr. Bader Al Nomani, Director of the Competition, said that participants are entitled to contribute with up to 5 photographs. He noted that only photos taken at the Al Dhafra Festival would be accepted.

Participation is limited to photographers in the United Arab Emirates, both amateurs and professionals. The participants should take into account that the photographs must be in the form of digital files stored in a CD and sent with the registration form, and all the required information in English only, Al Nomani added.

"The name of the artist and his address should be mentioned on each CD and mailed to the Office of Emirates Photography Competition at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism & Culture," said Al Nomani. noting that the deadline for accepting submissions is 15 January 2013.

Concerning the general conditions for the Competition, photos must be in JPG format only, with a quality of no less than 300 DPI. Photos can be in colour or black and white (digital or film-based). Participants must declare that the ownership of the photo rights is full (including all the elements in the image and related creative ideas), and that it is not copied or combined with any of works of others. To ensure ideal credibility, the Competitions conditions stipulate that participants must declare that the rights of the photographs submitted are not given, sold, licensed, suspended, or belonging to any other party which would prevent any free dealing with the photographs or the related rights. The participants must also declare that they have the approvals of all persons who are on the photo, for publication in books or other publications, or exhibitions under the conditions above.

The participants must authorise the competition to let the photos be exhibited by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Tourism inside and outside the UAE. They must also authorise the Competition to reproduce the photos or to re-authorize a third party to reproduce all of them, and distribute them in the media, but in keeping with the moral and material rights of the photographer. The Competition Administration has the right to reject any photo that does not meet the requirements, objectives or themes, with no reasons given. Finally, the participants are not entitled to withdraw their photos after submission.

As for the prizes, the Festival has set aside cash rewards for the winners of the four top positions. The winner of the first position will collect 20,000 Dirhams. The winner of the second position will collect 15,000 Dirhams. The winner of the third position will collect 12,000 Dirhams. Finally, the winner of the fourth position will collect 10,000 Dirhams. In addition to cash Prizes the Festival will give incentive awards and certificates of appreciation for outstanding works.

Submissions on CDs must be sent to: Mr. Bader Al Nomani

Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box: 2380

United Arab Emirates

Mobile phone: 00971503281494

E-mail: bader.alnomani@ gmail.com

- For more information, please contact:

Suhaib Falouji - Ph: 00971 50 1634564, E-mail: suheb@reactmena.com

Baraa Ghanem - Ph: 00971 50 3108109, E-mail: b_alnuaimi@hotmail.com