National Geographic Abu Dhabi (NGAD) and Almarai Celebrate Ten Years of Unforgettable ‘Moments’

 Abu Dhabi, UAE: National Geographic Abu Dhabi (NGAD) and Almarai are celebrating a decade of ‘Moments’, which has established itself as one of the largest photography competitions across the Middle East and North Africa.

Launched in 2010 to nurture the region’s talented photographers and provide them a platform to showcase their creative work widely, the competition has attracted over 275,000 aspiring photographers to date and has been credited with changing the lives of dozens of winners, setting them on the path to professional growth. 

Over the last ten years, ‘Moments’ has provided a unique documentation of the region and taken National Geographic Abu Dhabi’s audience on a fascinating cultural, historic and social journey of discovery throughout the Arab world.

Based on a unique theme that was assigned each year to the competition, the image submissions have depicted both the richness of the region’s heritage and the diversity of its people. They have captured memorable moments such as tourists at Burj Khalifa in the UAE, a vibrant alignment of spices at Wahran Souq in Algeria, puppet makers in Atfih in Egypt’s Siwa Oasis, sesame sellers in Saudi Arabia’s southern cities of Jazan and Najran, performers in the old medina of Marrakesh, a family gathering in Oman’s Nizwa city, a traditional wedding ceremony in Palestine, joggers on Beirut’s lively corniche and the breathtaking colors of Sidi Bou Said in the heart of Tunisia. 

Commenting on ‘Moments’, Mohamed Mahdi, the winner of the competition’s seventh edition, said: “Anyone who starts out in his career by winning the Moments competition is very fortunate. Being associated with this competition is priceless and has helped me tremendously in launching my career.”

Fatima Shabir, who won the ‘Documentary Photo’ in the competition’s seventh edition,” said: “The ‘Moments’ competition is the most important competition in the Arab world. I was about to lose faith in ever achieving my dream as a photographer. ‘Moments’ restored my faith and helped to gain more confidence in myself to pursue my goal of becoming a photojournalist.”

Muhammad Barawi, the winner of the competition’s eighth edition, expressed his gratitude for ‘Moments’: “Winning the Moments competition opened doors for me and gave me the opportunity to become a professional photographer. It was a privilege to be mentored by National Geographic experts, using the high-quality photography equipment I won. Winning the competition was a turning point for my career.”

He also added: “The chances of getting discovered as a photographer in the Arab region are rare. My advice to every photographer is to participate in the ‘Moments’ competition.”

Zainab Khalifa, who won the competition’s ninth edition, commented: ‘Moments’ paves the way for photographers to succeed in their career and supports them as they embark on their new journey. The journey requires hard work and the ability to deliver a powerful message through the lens of a camera. Having access to National Geographic is a rare and precious opportunity to learn these skills.”

Wafa Abdel Majeed, the winner of the competition’s ninth edition in the junior category, also commented: ”Winning the ‘Moments’ competition increased my confidence in my work. It gave me the push to go forward, to explore the world of photography and fulfill my passion. One thing I learnt through National Geographic is that sometimes the most impactful photo is the simplest.” 

‘Moments' is held in partnership with Almarai, the largest vertically integrated dairy company in the world and MENA's largest food production and distribution company. The company has been a strategic partner of National Geographic Abu Dhabi and the Moments Competition since 2014, with a shared vision and commitment to support Arab budding photographers, through offering them exposure and the possibility to be discovered on such a prominent platform.

About National Geographic Abu Dhabi

National Geographic Abu Dhabi, the first free-to-air Arabic documentary channel, was established as the result of a partnership between Abu Dhabi Media and the National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) in 2009. National Geographic Abu Dhabi has provided viewers in the UAE and the Middle East with an opportunity to see the world through smart, innovative programing dubbed into Arabic. Its programing is smart and fact-based with an emphasis on popular science, technology, natural history, archaeology and natural mysteries.

National Geographic Abu Dhabi was awarded the ‘Best Arabic Language Media Award’ for 2015, in recognition of its commitment to the production of credible and authentic Arabic scientific and educational programs and content. It was also honored with the Arab Social Media Pioneers Award for the 2015 corporate environment category.

About National Geographic Partners

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic Society and Disney, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivalled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Nat Geo People) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of the world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now it is committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for consumers… all while reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month. NGP returns 27 percent of its proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education.
 

About the Moments photography competition

In 2010, National Geographic Abu Dhabi launched a photography competition in the Middle East and North Africa to bring forth the collective and rising talent of the growing photography culture in the region. The ‘Moments' Award was created, and participants were asked year after year to capture and inspire audiences and judges through a single image based on a chosen theme.