The "Spaces of Light" Photography Award is a global celebration of the architectural aesthetics and visual culture at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Since its launch in October 2010, the award has served as a window to learn about the unique architectural and aesthetic features of Islamic art and architecture at one of the most beautiful contemporary mosques worldwide.
Over the past years, the award has attracted many photography lovers, both professionals, and amateurs, from different countries, affirming the award's status as a leading global cultural event that promotes the noble values of tolerance, coexistence, and peace amongst different cultures. It has also contributed to showcasing the grand mosque as a humanistic, cultural, and spiritual space that combines various styles of Islamic architecture from different eras and up-to-date practices and technologies in all fields, making it a leading global destination for architecture and art enthusiasts, and a true embodiment of notions of interaction, tolerance, and dialogue between different cultures and races, which late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan sought to promote.
The creative and artistic product of the previous seasons of the award has drawn attention to this grand edifice's exquisite architectural elements that bear unique symbolism and significance. Its design and construction 'unite the world through art,' using artisans, craftsmen, and materials from many countries. Today, as you attempt to capture the enduring beauty of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque through your camera's lens, be confident that every color, stone, and character selection is not random and each carries concrete human values, calling for goodness, affinity, and fraternity.
Over the years, the “Spaces of Light" Photography Award has proven that the mosque's aesthetics serves as an infinite source that refills the creative Juices of photographers and defines their style, setting their work apart from random snaps, which reflect the mosque's connection to its environment, and how it impacts worshippers and visitors, and its role in underscoring the Islamic culture, distinguished by notions of tolerance and moderation.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque opened in 2007; ever since, it has remained an iconic religious, architectural, and cultural edifice that echoes the greatness and splendor of the Islamic civilization throughout the ages. Its exquisite architectural design combines originality and modernity, further reflecting the aesthetics of Islamic architecture and its peculiarities in Abu Dhabi.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan dreamed of building a mosque. He set the general vision and laid its foundation, which is the culmination of a lifetime of extraordinary accomplishments, depicting the rich legacy of a visionary leader who the word impossible was not in his dictionaries; and who realized that great achievements came from the heart and are born from sincere intentions.