Visit Maldives launches photo competition as Creatoll marketplace goes live

Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) has launched a global photography competition called "This is My Maldives" alongside the public launch of Creatoll, a digital marketplace for Maldivian creative content.

The competition was announced at the Creatoll public launch ceremony held at Public Service Media (PSM). The platform was officially launched by Minister of Arts, Culture, and Heritage Heena Waleed and VMC CEO and Managing Director Ibrahim Shiuree.

"This is My Maldives" invites participants to submit original photographs taken within the Maldives across the themes of places, people, culture, nature, and experiences. VMC said the competition is open to photographers of all skill levels.

The winning entry will receive a cash prize of MVR 50,000. VMC said submitted photographs must be original works and that copyright remains with the photographer. Submitting an entry grants VMC a non-exclusive licence to use the images for destination promotion and other official purposes.

VMC said the competition is part of its wider effort to encourage creators to join Creatoll. Developed by VMC, the platform is designed to serve as a national digital marketplace for Maldivian visual, cultural, and creative assets. It connects creators and content owners with clients, including tourism businesses, media organizations, production houses, broadcasters, government institutions, diplomatic missions, and agencies.

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

Speaking at the ceremony, Shiuree said Creatoll supports the people whose creative work shapes how the Maldives is seen and shared. He said the platform gives creators a way to build visibility, protect their work, and access new opportunities. He said the Maldives is not only sun, sand, and sea, but also people, heritage, skill, creativity, and culture.

VMC said the launch highlighted its partnership with the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Heritage to strengthen Creatoll as a national platform. The ministry will support cultural representation, categorization, contextual metadata, and the integration of databases of artists, artisans, and cultural practitioners.

VMC has also partnered with PSM to integrate selected archival and contemporary media assets into Creatoll. VMC said PSM will contribute photography, documentaries, historical footage, interviews, and cultural documentation capturing decades of Maldivian history and island life.

VMC said Creatoll is intended to support the growth of the creative economy, strengthen destination storytelling, and create commercial opportunities for creators, content owners, and cultural institutions. The corporation invited creators, photographers, videographers, filmmakers, tourism partners, and media organizations to join the platform.