Artist bio

Muhammad Amdad Hossain (b. 1999) is a documentary photographer and visual artist from Chattogram, Bangladesh, where he lives and works. His practice focuses on climate change, water crisis, displacement, and the everyday resilience of communities living in environmentally vulnerable regions. Working through long-term, socially engaged photography, he combines field-based research, ethical community engagement, and visual storytelling to examine how people adapt to ecological uncertainty. Hossain holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and received professional training at Counter Foto, Bangladesh, followed by a six-month mentorship with Agence France-Presse (AFP). His work has been exhibited internationally across more than 40 countries and recognized by major global photography institutions, festivals, and cultural platforms. He works as a contract photographer with ZUMA Press (USA), is a photographer with Solent News & Photo Agency (UK), and a contributor to NurPhoto Agency (Italy). He has received over 200 international photography awards and his work has been featured in more than 150 global publications. Alongside his photographic practice, Hossain serves as a jury member for international photography competitions, including Wiki Loves Earth (2024), Global Photography Awards (2023–2025), MUSE Photography Awards (2023), and New York Photography Awards (2023). Through sustained engagement with communities and landscapes, his work reflects on territory, environment, and the lived experience of ongoing environmental change.

Title

Pray and Hope

Medium/Genre

Photography

Artist Statement

Every year thousands of Hindu devotees gather in front of Shri Shri Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram temple for the Kartik Brati or Rakher Upobash religious festival in Barodi, Near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Faithful sit in front of candles light ( named locally as Prodip ) and absorb in prayer.

Lokenath Brahmachari who is called Baba Lokenath was an 18th Century Hindu saint and philosopher in Bengal. Hindu worshipers fast and pray in earnest to the gods for their favors during the traditional ritual called Kartik Brati or Rakher Upobash.Barodi, near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

How it fits into contest

The spiritual warfare is very well described in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, 6:12. In order to face this battle, we must first pray and be aware of the power God has given us to fight with our spiritual weapons. The subject matter in the picture is God's spiritual warfare or prayer, which coincides with the competition topic.

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The 2026 Engage Art Contest will be accepting new artwork in January 2026!