Join the most prestigious student showcase of the year at SIMAD University. Capture the soul of heritage through a modern lens and compete for the top spot on the leaderboard.
Celebrating Somali Heritage
A simple three-step journey from camera lens to national showcase rankings.
Students capture high-resolution photos, videos, and storytelling entries showcasing Somali cultural excellence.
Contestants publish their photos directly onto their own social media accounts (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter) using the hashtag #DhaqanLens.
Audiences and followers visit the DhaqanLens website and vote securely using their personal emails to boost their favorite contestants.
Explore submissions celebrating Somali heritage and support your favorites.
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Support your favorite contestants! Cast your vote securely using your Google account. Your vote determines the final rankings.
You can cast exactly one vote in this competition. Make it count!
Everything you need to know about the DhaqanLens cultural showcase and voting process.
DhaqanLens is an annual cultural competition showcasing Somali heritage, traditions, and artistic expressions through student-submitted photography, cinematography, and storytelling.
The competition consists of a single voting round. To keep the voting secure and fair, voters must authenticate with their official Google account. You can cast one vote in total during the competition.
No! There are no eliminations in this competition. All registered candidates remain in the running until the end of the voting round, and final standings are based purely on the total number of votes they received.
The admin team may lock or hide the live standings during active voting to preserve the suspense and elements of surprise before the official winner announcement.
To vote, browse the gallery and click on any candidate to view their profile, then click the 'Vote' button. Confirm your choice in the popup confirmation modal. For a secure and fair voting process, you will be prompted to authenticate with your official Google account.
