Photographer Wins $120k For Her Ethereal Photo Of A Humpback Whale And Her Calf (+16 Runners-Up)

Water—this was the theme of this year’s HIPA photography contest. The awards were announced on June 7 and the Grand Prize of 120k dollars went to Jasmine Carey from Australia for her stunning and ethereal photo of a mother Humpback whale sleeping beside her 2-week-old baby. Carey took the photo while underwater in the Kingdom of Tonga, in the South Pacific.

HIPA, or the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, is in its 9th year and is one of the most lucrative photography contests in the entire world. This year, 450k dollars were given to the best photographers who entered the competition. HIPA is put on every year by the crown prince of Dubai.

Scroll down and have a look at Carey’s amazing photo, as well as the other best photos from this year’s HIPA photography contest. Remember to upvote your faves and let us know in the comments which pics were your favorites and why.

More info: JasmineCarey.com | Facebook | Instagram | HIPA.ae

#1 Water: Grand Prize, Jasmine Carey

Image credits: Jasmine Carey

#2 General (Black And White): 3rd Winner, Sujan Sarkar

Image credits: Sujan Sarkar

#3 Water: 3rd Winner, Buchari Muslim Diken

Image credits: Buchari Muslim Diken

"Little Zai (the baby calf) is no more than 2 weeks old. His folds still noticeable, his complexion still smooth and velvety. His dorsal, pectorals and fins not yet grown in and his belly the purest of white. Zai’s mother is stunning, the darkest of velvety grey tones with also a pure white underside. Angelically she rested. With open arms, she was perfectly vertical, her underside exposed," Carey told The Guardian.

"She looked so vulnerable, yet she was relaxed. So poised. So nourished, cushioned, and strengthened by the water that embraced her and will forever embrace, support, and enrich them. Careful not to waken his mother, Little Zai snuggled her—rubbing ever so gently along her nose and belly, familiarizing himself with each of her dimples and each of her bumps. Every so often he would blow her a small delicate trickle of bubble kisses and follow their sparkly trail up for a breath. Every so often he would look over to us curiously, but he knew, as we knew, it was 'mother and me' time."

#4 Water: 5th Winner, Yousef Shakar Al Zaabi

Image credits: Yousef Shakar Al Zaabi

#5 General (Color): 3rd Winner, Rashed Al Sumaiti

Image credits: Rashed Al Sumaiti

#6 Water: 1st Winner, François Bogaerts

Image credits: François Bogaerts

While Carey took home the Grand Prize, Belgian photographer François Bogaerts won the ‘Water’ Awards’ first place. Shantha Kumar Shivam Laila from India took second place and Buchari Muslim Diken from Indonesia took third place.

Meanwhile, photographers Fahad Al Enezi from Kuwait, Yose Mirza from Indonesia, and Emirati photographer Rashed Al Sumaiti took first, second, and third places in the ‘General–Color’ category.

HIPA explained that this year’s theme was water because it might be the oldest companion of humankind: our bodies are made up of water and it’s a necessity in our daily lives.

“From nature to nurture to science and discovery; water is central to our universe,” the contest described the importance of water. “Photography not only photographs the present, but in time creates a rich archive of the past and even inspires the imagination for the future. Water as a theme provides an endless and provocative subject that captures the photographer’s imagination and inspires an opportunity for photographic brilliance and storytelling.”