At the close of the Underwater Cultural Heritage events organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on August 20 and 21 this month, the ministry announced the names of the top 10 winners of the amateur photography competition, which it launched at the beginning of this month to select the best photo highlighting one of the artifacts recovered from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and currently on display at the Graeco-Roman Museum and the Alexandria National Museum.
Dr. Ahmed Rahima, Assistant Minister for Human Resource Development, General Supervisor of the Central Training Unit and General Coordinator of the events, reviewed the results of the competition, explaining that it saw outstanding participation, with 155 contestants from Egypt and six Arab and foreign countries, namely Kuwait, Sudan, Algeria, Belarus, Spain and South Africa, submitting more than 750 photographs. A specialized committee of professors from the Faculty of Fine Arts and archaeologists from the Supreme Council of Antiquities evaluated the entries and selected the 10 best photos to win the top places.
Dr. Ahmed Rahima added that the ministry was keen for the prizes to serve as an incentive encouraging the winners to connect with underwater cultural heritage and raise awareness of it. The prizes range from free trips to archaeological sites and museums, organized by the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, to free entry permits to museums and archaeological sites granted by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
He stressed that the initiative reflects the ministry's commitment to integrating visual arts into the promotion of Egypt's underwater cultural heritage and to encouraging young talent to help highlight the value of this unique heritage locally and globally.
