His winning photograph captures a family of five sleeping inside the remains of their Dhaka home after a fire destroyed around 1,500 dwellings in November 2025.
“Under the Same Sky,” shows a family of five sleeping side by side inside the surviving concrete walls of their Dhaka home. Photo: Courtesy
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“Under the Same Sky,” shows a family of five sleeping side by side inside the surviving concrete walls of their Dhaka home. Photo: Courtesy
Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman has won the grand prize at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA), widely described as the world’s richest photography competition.
His winning photograph, titled “Under the Same Sky”, shows a family of five sleeping side by side within the remaining concrete walls of their home in Dhaka, reports Gulf News.
The photograph documents the aftermath of a fire in November 2025 that destroyed around 1,500 dwellings in the capital.
Rahman’s image was selected for the award’s 15th edition, themed “Family”, which aligns with the United Arab Emirates’ designation of 2026 as the Year of the Family.
Ali Bin Thalith, secretary-general of HIPA, said the theme followed directives from UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to strengthen family bonds, promote social stability and preserve values for future generations.
The photograph portrays a family sharing the limited shelter left after the fire, capturing the human toll of the disaster and the family’s effort to carry on amid the destruction.
The award brings international recognition to Rahman’s documentation of the fire’s aftermath, highlighting the role of photography in recording the lives of people affected by disasters.
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