Kuwaiti photographers clinch top honors at Travel Photographer of the Year 2025

KUWAIT, Jan 25 (KUNA) -- Two Kuwaiti photographers have been distinguished as winners of the prestigious British Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) 2025 Award, emerging victorious from a field of elite entrants spanning more than 160 countries.
Photographer Mohammad Murad secured the top prize in the Portfolios - Wildlife, Sea Life, Birdlife category. He further solidified his standing by receiving an Award for Excellence for best single image within the same category's Special Mention section.
Compatriot Sulaiman Al-Atiqi was declared the runner-up in the Portfolios - Landscape, Weather, and Climate category, marking a significant double-victory for Kuwaiti artistry on the global stage.
Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Sunday following the official announcement, Murad disclosed that his winning portfolio featured an intimate study of Arabian red foxes in Kuwait's Doha region. The series was the culmination of over two months of rigorous field observation and monitoring.
Murad noted that his visual narrative explored the poignant proximity of these foxes to Kuwait City. The work serves as a stark commentary on environmental shifts and their direct impact on indigenous biodiversity, he clarified.
Regarding his excellence award, Murad highlighted a photograph captured in Tanzania depicting a juvenile elephant alongside its mother. He utilized a sophisticated "intentional camera movement" (ICM) technique, employing a slow shutter speed to create an ethereal, painterly aesthetic.
The photographer expressed profound pride in the fact that one of his fox images has attained iconic status, having amassed 13 international accolades to date, including a recent win in China.
"My primary motivation remains elevating the profile of the State of Kuwait in international forums and ensuring a Kuwaiti imprint on the global contemporary art scene," Murad emphasized.
In a separate statement to KUNA, Sulaiman Al-Atiqi detailed his success in the landscape category, achieved through a series of four mesmerizing images documenting underwater lily gardens in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
His work captures the surreal intersection of submerged aquatic life and the vibrant terrestrial greenery above, forming a masterful tableau of nature's primary colors.
Al-Atiqi, whose work also recently placed third in the DPG Masters 2025 underwater photography competition, described this latest recognition as a "pivotal professional milestone." He underscored the prestige of the award, given it is adjudicated by an international jury of world-class photographers, editors, and industry experts. (end) kmj.ibi