The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) celebrated the 14th edition of its 2025 awards on the theme “Power.” Omani photographer Salim Al-Hajri won the title of HIPA Photographer of the Year for his compelling documentation of Omani and Arab cultural heritage.
Recognised for both his work and his sustained commitment to the preservation and transmission of Omani and Arab cultural heritage, Salim Al-Hajri was named Photographer of the Year by the HIPA Awards jury. His beginnings in photography date back long before he purchased his first professional camera in 2014. As a child and teenager, he developed a sensitivity to images through magazines, family trips and an intuitive approach to photography. When he finally acquired his first camera, he began exploring the possibilities of the medium and quickly understood its narrative potential: the ability to give form and visibility to the stories, traditions and landscapes that mattered to him.
His development was remarkably swift. Four years after his early steps, in 2018, he organised his first workshop, entirely self-funded. In 2019, he won his first major award in Oman. From then on, his practice accelerated, notably as he began assembling an archive that now includes more than 6,000 professional images. His commitment to documenting Omani heritage reached a milestone with a National Geographic cover feature on traditional date production. He also received the highest award at the FIAP International Photography Competition as part of the Omani national team.
Beyond his own photographic work, Salim Al-Hajri has built a significant legacy through the workshops he leads. To date, more than three thousand photographers have taken part. Entirely self-financed and managed by his team, these workshops reflect both his independence and his conviction that passing on knowledge is a cultural responsibility. Many of them focus on Omani traditions, desert life and the documentation of rural communities. One of his most emblematic projects is the Al Sharqiyah Sands photography workshop, held in the Wahiba Sands desert with photographer Samir bin Isa Al Busaidi, immersing participants in the desert environment and the daily life of its inhabitants. Other workshops, such as those dedicated to the Moroccan equestrian tradition of Tbourida or the extensive “We Are Oman” series, illustrate his desire to extend his gaze beyond Oman and highlight the cultural richness of the Arab world.
These educational initiatives have strengthened his influence well beyond Oman. His work has been exhibited by institutions such as Qatar Museums. For Al-Hajri, showcasing the visual richness of Oman through his workshops is inseparable from developing a regional photographic culture and enhancing the visibility of Arab traditions. The workshops have also contributed to tourism, as the images produced and shared by participants have offered an international audience new perspectives on Omani customs, landscapes and communities.
Receiving the HIPA Photographer of the Year title was a memorable moment for him. Al-Hajri learned the news while filming what he believed would be an ordinary video. Yet he views the award not as an endpoint but as the beginning of a new chapter. His long-term vision is clear: starting from Oman, he aims to extend his documentary work to the cultures of the Gulf and then to the wider Arab world. His ambition is to build a broad, interconnected visual record, a living archive of regional traditions that celebrates the diversity and depth of Arab identities.
The HIPA award gives him new visibility, new collaborations and the opportunity to pursue long-envisioned projects combining heritage preservation, artistic ambition and a deep commitment to cultural transmission.
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