Through their lens: Younger photographers seize Emirati heritage

Blending visible creativity with museum-based studying, this yr’s competitors invitations college students to discover and doc the fantastic thing about conventional Emirati ornaments discovered throughout SMA’s museums. The initiative goals to deepen appreciation of the UAE’s cultural heritage whereas strengthening younger individuals’s reference to museums as inspiring areas for studying, creativity and cultural discovery.

Students are inspired to find conventional Emirati ornaments displayed throughout SMA’s museums, which span artwork, heritage, archaeology, Islamic civilisation, science and maritime historical past in Sharjah, Khorfakkan and Kalba.

The theme, “Traditional Emirati Ornaments”, highlights one of the distinctive expressions of the UAE’s cultural identification. Students can seize ornamental parts present in conventional structure, clothes and textiles, furnishings, family objects and conventional crafts, with explicit consideration to geometric patterns, floral motifs and heritage-inspired designs that replicate the richness and variety of Emirati tradition.

The third version of the exhibition shall be hosted at Taymiyyah School, the place the successful images shall be displayed. The exhibition will formally open on Thursday, 28 January 2027, throughout a ceremony that may also announce the competitors’s winners.

The initiative continues SMA’s efforts to have a good time younger expertise and supply college students with a platform to showcase their creative interpretations of Emirati heritage via pictures.

Building on the success of its earlier editions, the competitors has established itself as a platform for nurturing younger artistic expertise. The inaugural exhibition was held at Bait Al Naboodah, whereas the second version passed off at Al Qasimia School – Museum of Education in Sharjah, attracting greater than 547 submissions from college students at private and non-private colleges throughout the UAE.

The initiative has contributed to reinforcing the position of museums as academic and cultural establishments that encourage creativity, whereas encouraging college students to precise their views on heritage and nationwide identification.

The competitors is open to Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 college students enrolled in private and non-private colleges throughout the UAE. Winners in each classes will obtain money prizes, whereas their images shall be featured within the accompanying exhibition, giving individuals a chance to current their work to the general public and pictures, heritage and tradition fans.

SMA has urged college students wishing to take part to fastidiously observe the competitors tips. Entries have to be authentic images taken throughout 2026 at one in every of SMA’s museums and should not have been submitted to any earlier competitors or earlier version of “I Am at Sharjah Museums”. Each entry must be submitted as a single JPG picture with a minimal decision of 300 dpi and should not comprise any digital manipulation.

Photographs shall be assessed in keeping with their relevance to the competitors theme, creativity, originality, composition and technical high quality.

The submission deadline is Sunday, 25 October 2026. Entries must be despatched to the competitors’s designated e mail deal with, together with the official utility type and all required supporting paperwork. Winners shall be introduced throughout the exhibition’s opening ceremony on 28 January 2027.

Through the initiative, Sharjah Museums Authority continues to advance its imaginative and prescient of positioning museums as dynamic academic environments that nurture creativity, statement, visible storytelling and demanding considering amongst younger learners.

The competitors additionally promotes appreciation of Emirati heritage and nationwide identification, whereas encouraging college students to reinterpret conventional cultural parts via a recent creative lens. In doing so, it helps foster an enduring relationship between youthful generations, museums and tradition.