Samar Yahya

Saudi Gazette



JEDDAH — Khaled Al Sabt from KSA was named the Grand Prize winner, for his photo, entitled ‘Walking on the palms of destiny’ in National Geographic Abu Dhabi’s Photomentaries Competition 2013.



The image, portraying a traveler getting ready to embark on his travels, won first place, and will be published in National Geographic Al Arabiya magazine.



Talking to Saudi Gazette, Sabt said, “I was definitely drawn to the title of the competition — National Geographic Abu Dhabi’s Photomentaries Competition 2013. The fact that National Geographic — which boasts the most talented photographers in the industry — was hosting the contest made me want to partake.”



He revealed that he, of course, had hoped that he would win but he also knew that he was going against 30,000 other contestants. The winning work depicts an area that is actually very close to his house.



“On the day that I took the picture, however, something very special happened. It was raining and after it stopped, I took a walk and ran into a camel shepherd. We talked and had some tea; and before parting ways, I asked him if I could take a photograph and he gladly acquiesced.



“The truth is, he had a great, commanding presence and reminded me of all the stories that my mother used to tell me about our grandparents and how they used to walk miles and miles with their camels, for food. They had faith and trust in God, and would travel to various places — encountering strangers with similar beliefs along the way,” Al Sabt said.



Al Sabt said the victory has definitely boosted his confidence and motivated him to pursue photography keenly. Now, He is planning on hosting solo exhibitions at venues across the region and internationally. It has also enhanced the artistic value of his work and inspired him to participate in international competitions. However, he doesn’t plan on becoming a professional photographer just yet as he still has work commitments to fulfill.



Al Sabt is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Educational Technology at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz University. He also holds (ICDL) as well as diplomas in Education Resources and Computer Programming.

He started taking photographs in 2009, and ever since then, has been completely immersed in this world of art.



He would like to participate in international competitions as well as exhibitions. He would also love to organize and lead photography workshops.

The Terhal Project seems like a great initiative to him, as it would allow him to take photographs of Saudi Arabia. 



On the other hand, Athreyan Sundararajan, head of Marketing and Factual Channels FIC, unveiled that NGAD will definitely have a Photomentaries contest next year too. Yet, right now it’s a little too early to comment on what next year’s focus might be, so he suggested to take some time to applaud and enjoy the efforts of the entrants this year.



Photography is one of the more popular activities in the Middle East and indeed across the world. The entry barriers to good and almost professional quality photography have drastically declined over the last 10 years.



“We started our annual photography contest Photomentaries three years ago, and the annual response has been staggering; we received more than 30,000 entries this year in spite of the one entry per person rule. This year we invited entries under the theme of ‘Celebrating Arab Culture’, and the quality of the entries was amazing, with the top entries telling unique stories that are representative of the region. “



We also owe a big thanks to our partners National Geographic Al Arabiya Magazine, as well as Gulf Photo Plus. Of course the scale and quality of this year’s competition wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Almarai Company, which, apart from being the title sponsor, adopted the contest as its own and went all out to promote it across the region.”



The journey does not end with the competition. We have managed to identify great photography talents in our region and we do aim to work with them in future. The winner of this year’s contest, Khalid Al Sabt, is being sent on a photography expedition cruise to the Galapagos Islands, which will definitely help in building his skills even further, Sundararajan concluded.