Photography and film enthusiasts are enraptured with the news of the 7th edition of the International Photography Festival – Xposure, returning to Sharjah, UAE, with dates confirmed for 9th to 15th February 2023 at the Sharjah Expo Centre. The seven-day photographic extravaganza, organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), invites some of the world’s best photographers and industry professionals and is a major highlight on the photographic industry’s calendar.

The festival additionally plays host to two major photography awards, namely, the ‘International Photography & Film Awards’ and the ‘Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award’ (IFPA).

International Photography Festival – Xposure has quickly become the most anticipated global photographic event since its inception in 2016 and has received more submissions than ever before. The release of the dates for the festival was also accompanied by a range of impressive statistics about how the awards have grown in recent years.

Every year sees the festival expand in size and popularity with a 125% increase in attendance between 2021 and 2022. For 2023 there has been an 80% increase in submissions for the International Photography & Film Awards and a 54% increase in submissions for the second edition of the Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award.

The jury panel for the Xposure awards programme is compiled from an extensive list of leading professionals, critics and industry heavy-wheights, who go through multiple rounds of judging and selection to get through a staggering 17,330 submissions from 180 nations, making it one of the biggest and most diverse photography competitions in the world. For the International Photography & Film Awards there are 41 qualified industry professionals and critics who will use their expertise to judge the huge number of entries, and for the Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award there are five judges who are all world-leaders in the photojournalism industry and bring their years of experience to the judging table. These esteemed professionals consist of Aidan Sullivan, Muhammed Muheisen, Maria Mann, Lars Boering and Ray Wells.

As the awards are vehemently contested and a prestigious achievement for photographers and filmmakers around the world, there is a great deal of effort implemented to nominate the winners and to make the selection and judging process fair, non-partial and transparent, ensuring that the best of the best receive the honours.

International Photography & Film Awards

The International Photography & Film Awards, which is 100% free to enter, has a prize-pool of over $50,000 US and is divided into 10 categories, each having a considerable increase in submissions. This award has received 17,116 submissions from over 180 countries mostly from Europe, Africa and East Asia, with Spain, South Africa and Japan leading the pack. These categories consist of Architectural Photography (1,828 submissions), Drone Photography (1,033 submissions), Landscape Photography (3,212 submissions), Photojournalism (1,401 submissions), Portraiture (3,687 submissions), Short Film & Moving Image (235 submissions), Wildlife Photography (1,846 submissions) and the newly added Street Photography category (3,570 submissions). Additionally, the dedicated ‘Junior Photography Awards’ (186 submissions) and the ‘Sharjah Government Photography Awards’ (118 submissions) also received increased attention from countries around the world. Prizes are given in each category as well as an overall winner determined from the highest score achieved, regardless of the category entered.

Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Awards (IFPA)

The Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award is also 100% free to enter, and a prize-pool of over $15,000 US is to be contested through three categories. This award has received 214 submissions from over 55 countries, with India, Russia and Bangladesh having the most number of entries. The award is broken down into the following categories of ‘Spot News’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Solutions’. The awards are not only a monumental achievement for photojournalists but also provide a great deal of support for these hard working independent and freelance specialists who often risk their lives to get coverage in some of the world’s most dangerous environments.

The International Photography Festival, Xposure, is not only for photographers and industry professionals but is a global gathering for enthusiasts and lovers of the visual arts and the general public can look forward to a myriad of activities and engaging spectacles including an awe inspiring exhibitions that will display photographs in their full glory, as well as a printing and framing service for those that want to take the magic home with them. Visitors can also be enthralled by a product trade show that will offer competitive deals on photographic equipment and paraphernalia, engaging talks, panel discussions, workshops, and also a ‘portfolio review’ section for budding photographers to get advice and critique from professionals.

HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, commented on the upcoming festival saying, “Xposure has quickly become a global platform for the photographic industry and we are proud to give a stage to a medium that is an integral part of so many other industries. Too often photographers and independent film makers are not given the appreciation that they deserve and we are proud to welcome so many enthusiasts and independent professionals to Sharjah for them to receive support, accolades and exposure.”

The Director General added, “When we inaugurated this festival in 2016, our vision was to be an objective and safe platform for photographers and filmmakers to deliver their experiences, untold stories and unique perspectives of the world around us. It is an honour to welcome these visual story-tellers to Sharjah every year and give them a global platform. We are happy to see the festival grow from strength to strength as demonstrated by the statistics we released today, and we are confident that it will continue to grow in years to come.”

For all those wanting to attend this global gathering dedicated to photography and short film, you can find more details, as well as registering for the seven-day festival on Xposure’s website: https://xposure.ae/