Xposure 2026 launches Legacy Awards across three categories

The Xposure International Photography Festival 2026, organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), has announced the launch of the Xposure Legacy Awards, a cultural initiative introduced for the first time as part of the festival’s tenth edition.

The awards are dedicated to honouring exhibitions that demonstrate lasting intellectual and cultural impact through visual storytelling and reflect Xposure’s evolving role as a platform for knowledge, dialogue, and long-term influence.

The Xposure Legacy Awards are presented across three main categories: the Noor Ali Rashid Legacy Award for Documentary Vision, the Saleh Al Ustad Legacy Award for Creative Photography, and the Beeah Award for Environmental and Conservation Photography. Together, these categories highlight the breadth of visual storytelling, spanning humanitarian documentation, artistic innovation, and environmental responsibility.

The awards adopt an evaluation model that combines public engagement with expert critical assessment, reinforcing their cultural credibility.

Winners will be announced during the closing ceremony of Xposure 2026 on Feb.4, 2026, recognising exhibitions that have established a visual and intellectual legacy extending beyond the festival.

Commenting on the launch of the awards, Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB, said: “Xposure’s vision for the Legacy Awards is rooted in an expanded understanding of cultural legacy, one that does not regard the past as a closed chapter or a static historical accumulation, but as a living impact that extends across time.”

She added: “True legacy is what remains present in collective awareness, what continues to educate, interpret, and raise questions, and what equips successive generations with new tools to understand the world through imagery. From this perspective, when visual storytelling is presented with responsibility and knowledge, it becomes a universal human language capable of building collective memory, deepening human understanding, and reinforcing the role of imagery as a sustainable cultural and intellectual force.”

The Noor Ali Rashid Legacy Award for Documentary Vision recognises exhibitions that address humanitarian and social issues with depth and responsibility, using photography to document reality and foster understanding. Named in honour of the late Emirati photographer Noor Ali Rashid, a pioneer of photojournalism in the United Arab Emirates, the award honours documentary exhibitions that present honest visual narratives, engage with human experience in its complexity, and contribute to preserving collective visual memory for future generations.

The Saleh Al Ustad Legacy Award for Creative Photography is named after one of the pioneers of the artistic movement in the United Arab Emirates and the founder of a dedicated school of photography.

It celebrates exhibitions that demonstrate creative excellence and artistic innovation, positioning photography as a space for experimentation, interpretation, and expression. The award recognises exhibitions that expand the boundaries of visual storytelling and reaffirm photography’s role as a living art form shaped by contemporary cultural and aesthetic change.

The Beeah Award for Environmental and Conservation Photography, sponsored by BEEAH Group, honours exhibitions that deepen environmental awareness, highlight the beauty and fragility of natural ecosystems, and promote responsibility toward environmental protection and sustainability.

The award recognises visual narratives that present nature as a living system requiring understanding and care, transforming imagery into a call for reflection, action, and shared responsibility in the face of global environmental challenges.

The Xposure Awards, across their various categories, form a central pillar of the festival, contributing to the advancement of professional and cultural standards in visual storytelling, supporting emerging and established talent, and celebrating works capable of generating meaningful intellectual and human impact.

The tenth edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival, held under the theme “A Decade of Visual Storytelling” from Jan.29 to Feb.4, 2026, brings together more than 420 photographers, filmmakers, and visual artists from around the world, presenting 95 exhibitions comprising over 3,200 artworks, alongside a cultural programme of more than 570 events, including talks and workshops.