The Dubai Land Department has launched a photography contest under the title, "Building the Vision", in collaboration with the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, HIPA. The contest focus will be Dubai’s real estate and architectural landmarks to highlight how architecture has flourished in Dubai, and the speed at which Dubai has grown to capture the imagination of visitors as one of the world’s most impressive skylines.

"The goal of the contest is to celebrate and promote Dubai’s role in the real estate sector through the art of photography. We will use the photographs to feature Dubai real estate worldwide, as well as using them in the promotional material of our new services that are in line with the vision of making Dubai the highest rated city in customer happiness, thereby reinforcing Dubai as an ideal investing environment. In turn, this will help ensure fulfilling our mission of making Dubai the number one destination for investment, innovation, confidence and happiness," said Sultan bin Butti Bin Mejren, Director-General of the Dubai Land Department.

The Secretary-General of HIPA, Ali Khalifa bin Thalith, said, "One of a photograph’s main missions is to seize the beauty of an image no matter what shape or form it comes in. What we have been seeing in Dubai for the past few years in terms of architectural diversity has turned the city into a stunning colour palette, giving talented photographers from around the world the chance to document it through their camera lenses. Nowadays, Dubai can be easily compared to other major cities in the world in terms of visual attractiveness to go with its superb growth, tourism and thriving economy."

"The Dubai Land Department aims to be in the forefront of "seven star" government services ensuring customer happiness through an exceptional service experience that will bolster the variety of real estate investing opportunities available through the Dubai Land Department, in addition to attracting international real estate investments," said Majida Ali Rashid, Assistant Director-General and Head of Real Estate Investment Management and Promotion Center at DLD. She added, "The name 'Building the Vision' truly embodies the outstanding real estate development projects that are unique and, in many cases, defy the impossible much like the vision of Dubai and its leader’s vision to defy the impossible in accomplishment. At the same time, by choosing ‘Building the Vision’, we invite participants in the contest to share their vision through the images."

The top three winners will be honoured in a special ceremony during the launch of one of the most important new services of the Dubai Land Department. The first place winner will receive AED10,000 cash prize in addition to a professional camera, second place prize will be AED7,500 and the third place will be AED5,000. All others will receive a certificate of appreciation for their participation.

"We choose to collaborate with the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award as it is considered one of most highly regarded photography awards internationally, with the highest level of professionalism and excellence, making it the leading award among world class photographers globally. In addition, we knew we would benefit from the highly experienced HIPA team to ensure a successful launch, management, and judging of the contest," Majida Ali Rashid added.