HIPA's $200,000 grand prize goes to a drone photo of a family sheltering at home

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The world's richest photography competition has crowned a powerful image of resilience. Digital Camera World reports that Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman has won the $200,000 grand prize at HIPA, the Hamdan bin Mohammed International Photography Award in Dubai

His winning image, Under the Same Sky, was shot on a DJI Mavic 3 Pro. It shows a family of five sleeping inside the surviving walls of their home in Korail, Dhaka

The Korail fire on 25 November 2025 destroyed about 1,500 homes. This was HIPA's 15th season, with the theme of Family, a total prize pot of $1 million and a ceremony at the Museum of the Future

Other winners include Véronique De Viguerie, named Photographer of the Year with a prize of $80,000, and Kazuyoshi Nomachi, who received the $100,000 Appreciation Award. Both are respected names in documentary photography

Drone photography can show the scale of a disaster in a way ground level shots cannot, and this image clearly carries a strong message about family. A family sleeping together among ruins speaks to how people hold on to each other through hard times. Prizes like this can also draw attention to communities that need support

What makes a photograph powerful enough to win a major award? And how has drone photography changed documentary work?

Drone photo of family sheltering in the remains of their burnt-out home wins worldwww.digitalcameraworld.com