31 August 2022
Concrete industry calls up photographers to capture beauty and design of the material in competition
- The “Concrete in Life” competition, now in its fourth year, sees amateur and professional photographers compete for $10,000 prize by capturing inspiring images of concrete
- New “Beauty and Design” category launched this year to emphasize the beautiful uses of concrete in architecture and beyond
(London: 31st August 2022) – The fourth annual Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) “Concrete in Life” photography competition has launched, with professional and amateur photographers from around the world set to capture the beauty of concrete and showcase the role of concrete in a sustainable world.
Concrete is the most used man-made material and plays a vital role in society. Its inherent resilience, durability, recyclability, and boundless versatility supports our daily lives, conquering global climate challenges with its application in a diverse range of infrastructure.
This year the GCCA has invited Norman Miller, freelance writer and photographer and Chris George Content Director at Digital Camera World to be judges for this year’s competition, alongside Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive. Entries are anticipated to capture the astonishing design of concrete landscape and build on the triumph of last year’s competition. The overall winner for 2021, Agung Lewarissa, who also won the amateur Concrete Infrastructure category, captured the Merah Putih Bridge in Indonesia.
Contestants are invited to submit photography in the following categories, which include a brand-new Beauty and Design category, capturing beauty across both historical and modern concrete-built landscapes through to smaller, striking uses of concrete:true
- Urban design and use – images of the city landscapes and buildings around us, both well-known and hidden away
- Infrastructure – photographs of the infrastructure that enables our world, in our cities and rural, above and below ground
- Concrete in daily life – the human side of concrete and how it’s used and interacted with daily
- Beauty and Design – capturing the beauty of concrete, showing how it’s used in a particularly striking visual way, whether at a large or small scale
Entry to the competition is free. Each category has amateur and professional brackets.
Contestants will have a chance to win the crown for the professional and amateur brackets of each category. An overall winner for the “Best Concrete in Life” photo of the year will also be chosen from the eight finalists of all categories. The overall winner will receive $10,000 prize money, while each category winner will receive $2,500.
Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive, said: “Concrete is the foundation to many communities across the world and also the basis for stunning architecture. Our fourth annual photography competition aims to showcase this beauty as well as demonstrate the vital role of concrete as part of a sustainable built environment. We received over 13,500 photos from both professional and amateur photographers last year and we look forward to receiving more inspiring entries to this year as we march towards net zero.”
Norman Miller, freelance writer and photographer said: “Concrete underpins the very fabric of our society and will undoubtedly continue to shape infrastructure in the decades to come. For this competition, I’m really hoping to see uses of concrete that celebrate technological improvements to make it more sustainable, and aesthetic uses that get away from the idea that concrete is ‘ugly’.”
Chris George, Content Director at Digital Camera World, said: “Concrete is all around us and has a beauty that might not always be obvious. The Concrete in Life global photography competition has proved it possible to take stunning shots of architecture and the manmade environment that show you the beauty of this omnipresent building material.”
To enter the competition, participants should post a photo taken by them on Instagram or Twitter, with an explanation detailing what the photo is about, the reasons why they took it, and stating whether they are amateur or professional.
Participants are also required to use the hashtag #ConcreteinLife2022 as well as following hashtags to clarify their entries for which category:true
- #UrbanConcrete
- #ConcreteinInfrastructure
- #ConcreteinDailyLife
- #ConcreteBeautyAndDesign
They should also tag and follow the GCCA (@concreteinlife) on Instagram and (@theGCCA) on Twitter.
Winners for all categories will be invited to talk about their winning photos with GCCA, with their photos being shared on GCCA’s website and social media channels.
The judging panel for the entries:
- Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive
- Norman Miller, Freelance Writer and Photographer
- Chris George, Digital Camera World Content Director
The competition is open until October 31st 2022, with the winners announced during January 2023. For more details of competition and last year’s winning photos, please visit https://gccassociation.org/concreteinlife2022/.
About the GCCA:
Launched in January 2018, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is dedicated to developing and strengthening the sector’s contribution to sustainable construction. The GCCA aims to foster innovation throughout the construction value chain in collaboration with industry associations as well as architects, engineers, and innovators. In this way, the association demonstrates how concrete solutions can meet global construction challenges and sustainable development goals while showcasing responsible industrial leadership in the manufacture and use of cement and concrete. The GCCA is headquartered in London, England. It complements and supports the work done by associations at the national and regional levels.
The GCCA works with key a range of partners. It co-leads the Mission Possible Partnership’s Concrete Action for Climate initiate with the World Economic Forum. The GCCA is also an official accelerator for the Race to Zero.
About the Judges:
Norman Miller is a UK-based journalist who has written about concrete and the built environment for outlets including BBC Future and Concrete magazine, as well as writing on a wide array of other topics for UK national papers and specialist titles like New Scientist and Geographical.
Chris George is the Content Director of the photography website Digital Camera World , leading design website Creative Bloq, and a portfolio of magazines aimed at photographers and content creators.