GCCA 2nd Annual Global Photography Competition
The GCCA “Concrete in Life” global photography competition celebrates the essential nature and beauty of concrete in our lives.
As the most widely used human-made material on the planet, concrete is all around us: in our houses and offices; our roads and pavements; in the bridges that connect us; the wind farms that provide us with energy; and the sea barriers that protect us.
Even in uncertain and difficult times, concrete plays a crucial role in our lives – keeping us safe and playing an important part in our society’s recovery. It plays a vital role in our world through its versatility, strength, durability, and sustainability values.
This year we received over 10,000 entries, and the quality of them was simply outstanding. The winners and shortlist below have been selected as the very best at capturing concrete in life across our categories.
Many thanks to everyone who entered, and look out for details of our 2021 competition later in the year.
OVERALL WINNER
Congratulations to Nurlan Tahirli, the overall winner of Concrete in Life 2020, who wins the $10,000 grand prize.
Nurlan Tahirli
@nurlan_tahirli
Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan
“I am hugely honoured to be the winner of Concrete in Life 2020. The photo I took was at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. I was struck by the building’s unique and unusual look – its stunning design with simplicity of lines, single colour and complexity of structure portray the modern beauty of concrete and how people were interacting with it and enjoying it.”
Category Shortlist and Winners
Congratulations to our category winners, who receive a $2,500 prize.
CONCRETE INFRASTRUCTURE AMATEUR
Shortlist
Winner
Mariëtte Ewalds
“De Lentloper” bridge in Nijmegen, The Netherlands
“This bridge “De Lentloper” in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, was photographed to show the relationship between concrete and sustainability. The bridge is a surprising place to fully enjoy the beautiful surroundings not just by passing but also working-out or cycling. It becomes one with nature. How both functional and beautiful concrete can be!”
CONCRETE INFRASTRUCTURE PROFESSIONAL
Shortlist
Winner
Nishar Mohammed
@nisharmohammed
Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai
“This picture is of the Defence Roundabout Intersection on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, which opened in January 2011. 450,000 vehicles enter Dubai on an average every day from other Emirates, with the city welcoming 40,000 vehicles in the morning peak hours every day. It’s concrete enabling people to conduct their daily lives.”
URBAN CONCRETE AMATEUR
Shortlist
Winner
Nurlan Tahirli
@nurlan_tahirli
Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan
“I am hugely honoured to be the winner of Concrete in Life 2020. The photo I took was at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. I was struck by the building’s unique and unusual look – its stunning design with simplicity of lines, single colour and complexity of structure portray the modern beauty of concrete and how people were interacting with it and enjoying it.”
URBAN CONCRETE PROFESSIONAL
Shortlist
Winner
Ekaterina Koryakova
@katrintito
Parking space near RAI, Amsterdam, Netherlands
“This picture captures perfect geometry, minimalism, graceful lines, harmonious shades and colours. Concrete inspires me as much as nature and I can’t stop admiring it.“
CONCRETE IN DAILY LIFE AMATEUR
Shortlist
Winner
Christopher Andres
@chris_andres29
Rizal Province, Philippines
“The thought of growing up in the final resting place of people might be jarring but for these kids who lives in a cemetery in Rizal, it isn’t always like that. This use of concrete isn’t just a tomb or their bed at night, it’s a platform of fun and laughter.”
CONCRETE IN DAILY LIFE PROFESSIONAL
Shortlist
Winner
Christopher “Tawpee” Comeso
@tawpee.comeso
Dalma Park, Abu Dhabi
“I took this picture in a newly opened family park here in Abu Dhabi ‘Dalma Park’ while I was taking a photo walk. I took a picture of the child while playing in the unique Concrete shape maze. This photo captures concrete’s beauty and shows its important role in all aspects of life like a child’s upbringing.”
Category Information
Urban design and use #UrbanConcrete
Images of the city landscapes and buildings around us, both well-known and hidden away – from the Sydney Opera House to the tower block you might have grown up in.
Infrastructure #ConcreteInfrastructure
Photographs of our infrastructure, in our cities and rural areas, above and below ground: highways, bridges, airports, stations and dams, let’s celebrate the concrete buildings supporting and enabling our vibrant lifestyles.
Concrete in daily life #ConcreteInDailyLife
Showcase the human side of concrete – how it’s used and interacted with daily. Also includes small scale applications of concrete. We also encourage you to show how concrete is playing a role in your current life or those around you through these difficult times.
Prizes
The overall Best “Concrete in Life” Photo of the Year winner will win a $10,000 prize.
Each of the remaining amateur and professional winners will each win a $2,500 prize.
View 2019’s winners
The Judges
Gabriele Galimberti, National Geographic photographer – Gabriele travels around the globe to tell stories – through portraits and short stories – of people and places around the world. He currently works on both solo and shared projects, as well as assignments for titles such as National Geographic, The Sunday Times, Stern, Geo, Le Monde, La Repubblica and Marie Claire. He has also spent the past few years working on long-term photography projects, some of which have become books, such as “Toy Stories,” “In Her Kitchen,” “My Couch Is Your Couch” and “The Heavens.” His pictures have been exhibited at festivals, museums and art shows around the world, including the V&A museum in London.
“I am deeply impressed with how the entrants were able to capture the beauty and magnificence of concrete, and tell the story of how it is supporting us in our daily lives.”
John Fairley, Photographer and Creative Director of Curious Productions
With over 25 years’ experience as a Designer, Art Director and Creative Director, John has overseen and integrated, award-winning advertising campaigns across emerging channels, TV, print, digital and social, as well as leading rebranding and design for large-scale, corporate identity systems.
“Despite the pandemic, which has restricted nearly every part of our lives, concrete is still plays a huge role in society. I am amazed at the quality of entries this year in capturing the beauty of this everyday material that often goes unnoticed.”
Gian Luca Barone, Senior Associate of Zaha Hadid Architects
As a project architect, Gian led a key part of the exhibition component within Cairo Expo City, in addition to working on Milan City Life Tower, the headquarters of Fendi and the winning design for the Riyadh Metro Station competition.
“Concrete plays a fundamental role in our built environment, enabling us to design with near unlimited versatility. It’s fantastic to see how people have captured how concrete can be both beautiful and essential at the same time.”
Dinah McLeod, Chief Executive of the GCCA
Dinah is a social and environmental sustainability professional with over 20 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors. She leads the GCCA’s efforts to drive sustainable practices across the industry and to position cement and concrete as key contributors to solving today’s global challenges.
“The quality of photos that we received was incredibly high, and we were hugely impressed with our entrants’ ability to capture and depict how concrete has been continuing to support our lives even in these difficult times. Our congratulations to our winners, and we would like to thank everyone who took part.”