Published : 11 Nov 2026, 12:07 PM
Updated : 11 Nov 2026, 12:07 PM
Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman has made history by winning the Grand Prize at the 15th Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA), becoming the first photographer from the country to receive the competition's highest honour.
The winners were announced at a gala ceremony at the Museum of the Future in Dubai at 8pm local time on Tuesday.
Pinu won the top award for his photograph, titled "Under the Same Sky", which captures a family sleeping beneath the open sky in a room gutted by a devastating fire at Korail slum in Dhaka.
Even after losing their shelter and possessions in the blaze, the family members remain bound by affection and solidarity. The photograph conveys this enduring human connection through a poignant snapshot.
This year's central theme was Family. HIPA had encouraged participants to explore the idea beyond its conventional association with human relationships, inviting broader interpretations of family.
Expressing his delight at the achievement, Pinu said he had always loved telling people's stories.
“Representing Bangladesh on such a major international platform and winning this award is a source of immense joy and pride for me. This achievement has further strengthened my visual journey and my sense of responsibility to tell stories through photography,” he said.
Pinu is a professional banker who works as an assistant general manager in the cyber security division of state-owned Rupali Bank.
Originally from Pirojpur, he completed his postgraduate studies in Botany at Dhaka University.
This has been a particularly successful year for Pinu on the international photography circuit. Before winning HIPA's top honour, he received Bangladesh's National Award at the Sony World Photography Awards 2026.
He also won first prize at Italy's Siena Creative Photo Awards 2026 for The Golden Burden, a photograph of an elderly labourer carrying a load of jute on his head.
At the same event, his photograph "Bad Morning in a Burned Valley" received a Highly Commended distinction at the Siena International Photo Awards.
This year's HIPA competition presented awards across several categories: Family, Sports, Portfolio, General and the newly introduced Dreams Through AI.
Bangladeshi photographer KM Asad had previously won first prize in the “The Moment” theme at HIPA's eighth edition in 2017. A further 13 Bangladeshi photographers have received awards in different categories across different editions.
However, Pinu’s achievement marks the first time the competition's highest distinction, the Grand Prize, has come to a Bangladeshi photographer.
