What is so special about this photo that it won a prize worth up to 200,000 USD?

It looks simple, but the picture contains deep meaning sent by the photographer who took it.

The Hamdam International Photography Award (or HIPA for short) is the world's most prestigious photography award, with a prize of up to $200,000 for the first prize winner. This year, the theme of the award is "Sustainability", talking about the impact of humans on nature and how we are trying to maintain a sustainable future.

The photo "Quiet Power" won the $200,000 prize under the HIPA 2024 framework.

The award ended on November 12, with first prize going to photographer Liping Cao with a photo of a wind farm titled "Quiet Power" .

Photographer Liping Cao.

Mr. Cao (now 65 years old) started learning about photography at the age of 40. During his youth, Mr. Cao worked for the Chinese Government instead of being a photographer, then after retiring, he moved to Australia to be closer to his daughter. In 2020, he started participating in photography awards:

"Before this time, I had never participated in any photo awards. After participating in 2020, I also received 3rd prize in some awards in Asia and Africa, and since then I have been interested in them."

Cao had entered the HIPA competition a total of four times before winning in 2024, all of which were eliminated in the early rounds. But by 2024, he had two photos that had made it to the finals, of which "Quiet Power" had won the top prize:

"I didn't even know I had won the top prize until I was invited on stage. I was so surprised, and it became the most unforgettable moment of my life."

Photographer Liping Cao receives the award.

Invited to the award gala, Mr. Cao still brought his camera set including a Canon 5D Mark III and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. He said that because he always brought his camera with him wherever he went, he was able to take the award-winning photo, because the circumstances at that time were very random.

During a trip to Lake George in South Australia, he came across this majestic scene while stopping at a car park. The lake was dry this season, creating contrasting light and dark areas, combined with wind farms and large clouds to create this beautiful image.

Photographer Liping Cao and the photo that best fits the theme of "Sustainability" of this year's HIPA awards.

'Amidst the magnificent Australian landscape is a wind farm, slowly rotating to generate renewable energy. The dried-up river below is also a reminder for humans to take sustainable actions to save the world from major environmental challenges,' he added.

He took many other photos during his trip, but this one is the one that best fits the theme of "Sustainability" for this year's HIPA Awards. "I believe that the environment is something that every human being on Earth should care about. Australia, where I live, has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, but is increasingly affected by climate change. I think it's a good thing that HIPA chose the theme of "Sustainability". If everyone works together, we can build a better future!"