Visit Maldives Corporation launches ‘This is My Maldives’ global photography competition

Visit Maldives Corporation Limited (VMC) has launched “This is My Maldives”, a global photography competition inviting creators and visual storytellers to share the Maldives through their own lens, as part of the public launch of Creatoll, the digital marketplace for Maldivian creative content.

The competition was announced during the Creatoll public launch ceremony held at Public Service Media, with the platform officially launched by the Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Honourable Heena Waleed, and the CEO and Managing Director of Visit Maldives Corporation, Ibrahim Shiuree.

“This is My Maldives” invites participants to submit original photographs that capture what the Maldives means to them across the themes of places, people, culture, nature and experiences. The competition is open to photographers of all skill levels and seeks to celebrate the beauty, diversity, culture and everyday life of the Maldives through authentic visual storytelling.

The winning entry will receive a cash prize of MVR 50,000. Submitted photographs must be original works taken within the Maldives. Copyright remains with the photographer, while submitted entries grant VMC a non-exclusive licence to use the images for destination promotion and other official purposes.

The competition forms part of VMC’s wider efforts to encourage creator participation through Creatoll, giving photographers, videographers, filmmakers, creative businesses and content owners a platform to showcase, license and monetise authentic Maldivian content.

Developed by VMC, Creatoll is designed to serve as a national digital marketplace for Maldivian visual, cultural and creative assets. The platform connects creators and content owners with clients, including tourism businesses, media organisations, production houses, broadcasters, government institutions, diplomatic missions, agencies and other users seeking authentic Maldives content.

Through Creatoll, creators can build verified professional profiles, upload photography, video and stock footage, showcase their portfolios, set prices where applicable, retain ownership of their work and earn from successful content sales. Clients can browse the marketplace, download free assets where available, purchase licensed content and request access to selected media assets through clear digital agreements and approved usage periods.

Speaking at the ceremony, CEO and Managing Director of Visit Maldives Corporation, Ibrahim Shiuree, said Creatoll was created to support the people whose creative work shapes how the Maldives is seen, remembered and shared.

“Creatoll gives creators a way to build visibility, protect their work and access new opportunities. For destination marketing, it strengthens our ability to tell the story of the Maldives through authentic local perspectives. The Maldives is not only sun, sand and sea. It is also people, heritage, memory, skill, creativity and culture,” he said.

The launch also highlighted VMC’s partnership with the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage to strengthen Creatoll as a national platform for Maldivian visual, cultural and creative content. The Ministry will also support cultural representation, categorisation, contextual metadata and the integration of relevant databases of artists, artisans and cultural practitioners where applicable.

The public launch was held at Public Service Media, with whom VMC has entered into a partnership to further strengthen Creatoll through the integration of selected archival and contemporary media assets. Through the collaboration, PSM will contribute materials including photography, documentaries, historical footage, interviews and cultural documentation, many of which capture decades of Maldivian history, heritage and island life.

The partnership brings together VMC’s destination marketing expertise and PSM’s role as the nation’s leading broadcaster and custodian of one of the country’s largest audiovisual archives, creating a more comprehensive platform for Maldivian visual, cultural and creative assets.

Creatoll is positioned as more than a content marketplace. It is intended to support the growth of the creative economy, strengthen destination storytelling, improve access to authentic Maldivian content and create new commercial opportunities for creators, content owners, cultural institutions and creative businesses.

VMC invites creators, photographers, videographers, filmmakers, tourism partners, media organisations, institutions and creative businesses to join Creatoll and contribute to building a national platform for Maldivian stories, culture and creativity.