What Xposure does

Xposure is an annual international photography and film festival held in Sharjah, UAE, operated by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau. The event originated from the Emirates Photography Society founded in 2008 under the patronage of Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and was formally launched in 2016 as a week-long programme at Aljada. It now draws participants from 136 countries and has received over 29,000 award entries across its lifetime. The festival functions as a regional convening platform for professional photographers, filmmakers, students, photography and film equipment brands, and conservation-focused organisations.

The core offering spans exhibitions, workshops, portfolio reviews, film screenings, an industry trade show, and a structured awards programme that includes nine International Photography Award categories (notably including a Photo-manipulation/AI category), Film Awards, Visual Storytelling Awards, a Junior Photography Competition, the Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award (IFPA), the Global Focus Project, and curated legacy exhibitions. A dedicated mobile application, Xposure XPF, supports scheduling and attendee engagement. Revenue is generated through visitor and media registration fees, paid portfolio review sessions, trade show exhibitor rentals, and corporate sponsorships, while award entries themselves are free.

As a government-owned cultural initiative, Xposure operates with sovereign funding and institutional backing rather than commercial venture capital, positioning it as both a cultural diplomacy asset for Sharjah and an industry platform for visual storytelling in the MENA region. Partnerships with Beeah, Athens Photo World, The Big Heart Foundation, and Rubu' Qarn Foundation reinforce its convening role across humanitarian, environmental, and international creative communities.

Name

Xposure

Legal name

Xposure International Photography Festival

Website

https://xposure.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Xposure is an annual international photography and film festival in Sharjah, UAE, operated by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau. It serves professional photographers, filmmakers, students, and brands through exhibitions, awards, workshops, portfolio reviews, and a trade show.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography & Film Festival Events

akta.pro primary industry

Exhibition & Trade Show Management (Conference-Adjacent) (THAHACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Certification Expos Organizers (THAHABAD), Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Photography festival events
• Film festival screenings
• Photography awards programs
• Trade show exhibitions
• Portfolio review services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sharjah

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Festival Registration: Visitor and media registration fees for attending the annual festival.
2. Trade Show Exhibitor Spaces: Rental of exhibition spaces to photography and filmmaking equipment companies and brands. Available on first-come, first-served basis with affordable rates for small and medium businesses.
3. Portfolio Reviews: Paid 30-minute one-on-one sessions with industry experts for personalized photography feedback and guidance.
4. Awards Program Entry: Free entry awards programs with prize pools including USD 42,000 for International Photography Awards and USD 5,000 per category for IFPA awards.
5. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships and partnerships with organizations like Beeah, The Big Heart Foundation, and other regional/international brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Xposure organizes an annual International Photography & Film Festival in Sharjah, UAE, featuring curated exhibitions, educational workshops, portfolio reviews, film screenings, multiple award programs (International Photography Awards with USD 42,000 prize pool, Film Awards, IFPA, Global Focus Project, Xposure Legacy Awards, Visual Storytelling Awards, and Junior Photography Awards), and a regional trade show. The festival also publishes a mobile app for real-time schedule access and runs portfolio-review sessions with industry experts.

Product overview

Xposure is an annual International Photography & Film Festival held in Sharjah, UAE, serving as a platform for visual storytelling. The core offering is the seven-day festival featuring exhibitions, workshops, portfolio reviews, film screenings, and industry events. The product portfolio includes multiple award programs: International Photography Awards (nine categories, USD 42,000 prize pool), Film Awards (Short Film, Animation, Cinematic Arts, Documentary), Visual Storytelling Awards, Junior Photography Awards, Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award (IFPA), Global Focus Project, and Xposure Legacy Awards. Supporting services include Portfolio Reviews (30-minute expert sessions), Trade Show, and a dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android. The festival features multiple venues including Stage X, Hadara Stage, and Auditorium for talks, screenings, and presentations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Focus Project: A nomination program designed to honor and showcase exceptional photographers from six continents.
• IFPA (Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award)
• Xposure Legacy Awards
• International Photography Awards
• Trade Show

Products and services

• Xposure International Photography & Film Festival Annual seven-day photography and film festival held in Sharjah, UAE featuring exhibitions, workshops, portfolio reviews, awards, film screenings, and industry networking events for photographers, filmmakers, students, and enthusiasts from 136 countries.
• International Photography Awards Photography competition with nine categories including Photo-manipulation/AI, Sports, Street, Architecture, Junior, Mobile, Nature & Landscape, Night Photography, and Portraiture, with a prize pool of USD 42,000.
• Film Awards Film competition accepting submissions across four categories: Short Film, Animation, Cinematic Arts, and Documentary.
• Visual Storytelling Awards Award celebrating compelling narratives told through a series of six still images, recognizing creativity, impact, and narrative depth; open to amateur and professional photographers.
• Junior Photography Awards Annual competition for UAE residents aged 18 and under, divided into Junior Lower (8-13 years) and Junior Upper (14-17 years), free to enter.
• Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award (IFPA) Award recognizing independent photojournalists across three categories (Spot News, Environment, and Solutions), with each category winner receiving USD 5,000.
• Global Focus Project Nomination program recognizing exceptional male and female photographers from each of six continents (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania); launched in 2023 to honor diverse regional storytelling.
• Xposure Legacy Awards Recognition platform for curated exhibitions including the Noor Ali Rashid Legacy Award for Documentary Vision, the Beeah Award for Environmental & Conservation Photography, and the Saleh Al Ustad Award for Creative Photography.
• Portfolio Reviews Paid 30-minute one-on-one sessions with leading picture editors and industry experts providing personalized feedback on photography work for professional and emerging photographers.
• Xposure Trade Show Premier photography and filmmaking trade show in the MENA region, with exhibitor spaces rented to equipment brands for product demonstrations and direct customer engagement, complemented by educational seminars, workshops, and demonstrations.
• Photography Exhibitions Curated photography exhibitions featuring work from international photographers across themes including documentary, environmental, portraiture, and creative photography, displayed during the festival.
• Photography Workshops and Masterclasses Educational workshops and masterclasses covering photography techniques, visual storytelling, and industry skills, delivered by industry experts during the festival.
• Xposure XPF Mobile Application Mobile application for iOS and Android providing festival schedule, event details across three stages, exhibition information, and workshop listings with real-time updates for festival attendees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 136 countries represented in awards programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Athens Photo WorldflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Athens serves as Guest of Honour at Xposure 2026, presenting a curated selection of galleries in collaboration with Athens Photo World. This partnership highlights the festival's commitment to showcasing diverse international photography communities.
• BeeahflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Beeah partners with Xposure for The Beeah Award for Environmental & Conservation Photography. Beeah is a regional and global leader in sustainability and environmental innovation, reflecting shared commitment to responsible stewardship of the natural world.
• The Big Heart FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional collaboration for 'Traces of Memory, The Son of Sharjah' exhibition - a coffee-table book developed through Executive Office partnership, showcasing photography as a contemporary artistic medium.
• FANN Media Discovery PlatformminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganiser of reEarth International Art Prize, a powerful global youth-led exhibition at Xposure showcasing selected works by children and young artists responding creatively to environmental change.
• Rubu' Qarn Foundation for Creating Future Leaders and InnovatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Sharjah Youth program for 'From the Eyes of Youth' exhibition, where young photographers participated in an intensive one-month photography journey to reveal Sharjah through a new generation's gaze.
• United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)minorOthersXposure photographer Giles Clarke often travels alongside UNOCHA for humanitarian documentation projects in Yemen, Sudan, and Haiti.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Visa pour l'Image: Annual international photojournalism festival in Perpignan, France with screenings, exhibitions, and awards focused on documentary and news photography. Closely comparable to Xposure's award categories (IFPA, Documentary Vision Award) and humanitarian-crisis imagery programming (Giles Clarke exhibitions).
• PhotoEspaña: Madrid-based annual international photography festival with exhibitions, awards, and portfolio review programming across multiple venues. Highly comparable in scale, duration (multiple weeks), exhibitions + awards + portfolio reviews format.
• Photo London: London-based annual photography fair and public exhibitions program featuring galleries, publishers, and leading photographers. Highly comparable to Xposure's trade show + exhibitions + portfolio reviews model in a Western European market.
• FORMAT International Photography Festival: UK-based biennial photography festival featuring exhibitions, portfolio reviews, and commissions. Comparable in festivals-of-photography format with portfolio review and exhibiting photographer programming paralleling Xposure.
• Photoville: New York-based annual photography festival featuring container-based exhibition venues, workshops, and free public programming. Comparable in festival-exhibition-workshop format and similarly targets both professional photographers and broader public audiences.
• Les Rencontres d'Arles: Annual international photography festival in Arles, France featuring curated exhibitions, awards, and industry programming. Most established global photography festival in format, scale (multi-venue across a city), and program breadth — directly comparable to Xposure's festival + exhibitions + workshops model.
• Athens Photo World: Photography platform organizing curated exhibitions across Athens, serving as Xposure's 2026 Guest of Honour. Compares on curated-gallery exhibition model and partnership-programming structure for international visual storytelling audiences.
• HeadOn Photo Festival: Sydney-based annual photography festival featuring exhibitions, awards, and talks across multiple venues. Directly comparable in scope (multi-venue exhibitions + awards + industry programming) and serves a similar Emerging-to-Established photographer audience.

Regional players

• Red Sea International Film Festival: Saudi Arabia-based annual film festival featuring screenings, awards, and industry programming since 2020. Closest regional film-festival peer in MENA format and similar government-backed cultural positioning; both target Middle East / international film audiences with competing draws for regional filmmakers.

Broad incumbents

• World Press Photo Foundation: Amsterdam-based foundation running the world's premier photojournalism awards and global exhibition tour. Operates the most credible photojournalism award globally and is a Xposure partner; comparable in the awards and exhibitions pillar but extends touring content globally rather than running a single annual festival.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@xposurexpf
• Facebookfacebook.com/xposureXPF
• Instagraminstagram.com/xposurexpf
• Xx.com/xposurexpf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xposure-xpf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Xposure