Rawa Hama Sur Salih

​Second place winner of Rwanga Awards 2018

First place winner of Rwanga Awards 2019

Rawa Hamasur Salih is 26 years old and is the first place winner of Photography category at the Rwanga Awards 2019, he was able to win this competition on Kurdistan level in which 544 competitors had participated.

Rawa Hamasur Salih was born in 1994. He has always had a passion for photography from a very young age and has grown up with the art of photography. When he was a child, his uncles were doing photography and had a shop for photography work, and Rawa spent his time in their shop learning the techniques and improving his skills of photography without attending any courses or trainings. After social media platforms were more commonly used by people, and through it Kurdistan became more globally connected, Rawa started watching international Photographers’ works and photos. These factors helped him improve in this field, and overcome many obstacles, which led him into becoming a professional photographer. Participating in the Rwanga Awards was a motivation for him to work harder and improve more, especially when he won the second place at the Rwanga Awards 2018, and he immediately thought that God willing he will win the first place next year. He won the first place the following year thanks to the Rwanga Awards.

When he saw the announcement of the Rwanga Awards on their official page, and found the photography category, it made him very happy and even though there was only one day left to the deadline, he immediately sent his photo and then he was contacted and told that he is one of the nominees. In that year (2018), he won the second place, so he decided that he would try harder next year. In the beginning of 2019 he went on a trip for his photography work, in 3-1-2019 he took a photo and immediately decided to send it to the Rwanga Awards, till the Rwanga Awards began receiving applications he did not publish the photo anywhere. He was contacted again that he was one of the final nominees of the Rwanga Awards. He came to the event and was announced to be the first winner, Rawa thanks Rwanga Foundation for this great opportunity and he says that they are the reason for encouraging people to try harder and they are motivators in all fields.

Winning at the Rwanga Awards was certainly a reason for boosting his confidence, and trying harder to develop his talents in photography. These factors encouraged him to participate in other international competitions in other countries, he was able to achieve many certificates from different websites around the world, and is always trying to participate in international competitions, he is trying to be a part of many photography projects both inside and outside Kurdistan, and to become an international photographer.