Fatma Zohra Hamici from Batna, Algeria, and Hanan Rajab from Bahrain, have been announced as the first and second prize winners, respectively, of the opening week of Xposure International Photography Festival’s #HomeCaptured contest. Hamici won US$ 1,000, while Rajab received US$ 750.

Hamici’s entry titled ‘Teatime’ depicted the popular ritual in a stunning visual. The judges cited the entry for its “highly detailed conceptual composite that demonstrates the photographer’s imagination and knowledge of high-speed sync, along with a sound understanding of lighting, use of layers and photoshop techniques that were required in this image.”

Titled ‘Wish’, Rajab’s photograph portrayed a child’s desire to go out and play in this time of self-isolation. The entry was chosen by the judges as the second best for achieving “a high key portrait that captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrop and framing, in addition to the drawing that emphasises the wish of the child to return to a normal life, playing with friends.”

#HomeCaptured is an easy-to-enter competition that aims to get everybody to explore new and creative ways to engage with photography in their homes during this trying period. The photo contest to open to anybody and everybody across the world and invites shutterbugs to use their artistic skills to capture the beauty and uniqueness of everyday moments at home.

Entries can be uploaded at https://stayhome.xposure.ae/  in JPG format. Contestants can submit one image in each 24-hour period over the duration of the contest. Winners will be notified by email and their images will be published on Xposure’s StayHome website as well as on its social media platforms.