An American University of Sharjah (AUS) student and an AUS alumnus were honored at the Sharjah Award for Arab Photography, held at the university on February 17, 2016. Nasser Ali Albahrani, an engineering student, won second place in the Sharjah Landmarks category. Together with alumnus Mostafa Yousuf Ajjawi, Albahrani also placed second in the Arab Youth Cup category.

The event, now in its fifth edition and organized by the Union of Arab Photographers, was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of AUS, at the university's Main Building.

Albahrani, a chemical engineering major in his final year, said, "I usually participate in any photography competition I hear about, and I received an email about this competition as I am a member of the Union of Arab Photographers. My wining photo, titled Birds Flock over Sharjah, is a shot of birds flying across the sky at Al Majaz Waterfront."

Albahrani and mechanical engineering alumnus Ajjawi won second place with a group of 15 young photographers representing the UAE in the Arab Youth Cup category. They competed against photographers between the ages of 18 and 25 from other Arab countries.

"I saw an advertisement on the United Arab Photographers group on Facebook and I decided to enter a photograph I had taken last year in Al-Khan Sharjah," said Ajjawi. "The weather was really beautiful at sunset that day so I decided to take my camera and take some shots using the digital blending technique."

Ajjawi is currently working as a junior engineer in an oil and gas company in Abu Dhabi. Albahrani said he hopes to open his own photo gallery after graduation.