Five winners of the 2016 Art Jameel Photography Award (AJPA) are celebrating after sharing cash prizes of more than SAR 100,000.

Mai Al Moataz was awarded first prize for her image ‘Proof of Presence’. She was among 30 entries chosen as finalists that were exhibited at Naila Aart Gallery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month.

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More than 500 photographers from 30 countries entered the seventh staging of the AJPA, which is organized by Art Jameel in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts.

Prominent artists such as Dr Ahmed Mater and Maha Malluh were among those to visit the exhibition.

Art Jameel Programs General Manager Dalya Mousa said: “The number of applicants confirms the prestigious status of the contest, and the big response from the talents and innovators in the field was at a high level of photographic creativity and quality.”

Omar Al Jasser, Director of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in Jeddah, said: “This contest is a contribution to Saudi Arabia’s efforts in supporting arts and human culture. It also attests Art Jameel’s prestige and its care for the Saudi citizens in an expression of gratitude for the wise leadership of the country.”

The AJPA was launched in 2009 as the Bab Rizq Jameel Prize for Photography. More than 5,000 people have entered the competition since then, with participants coming from all GCC countries.