New global photography competition launches to showcase vital role played by concrete

Calling all photographers – professional and amateurs with smartphones – for chance to win $10,000 and other cash prizes

London, 24 July 2019 – The Global Cement and Concrete Association (“GCCA”) today launched an exciting new “Concrete in Life” global photography competition. Open to professional and amateur photographers via social media, the competition aims to showcase the vital role that concrete plays in our world.

This includes encouraging people to look at how concrete is being used in the world around them. The competition has three categories:

• Urban design and use – the city landscapes and buildings around us
• Practical concrete – our infrastructure, in our cities and rural areas, above and below ground
• Small scale concrete – From provision of a water tank for a village or an urban sculpture, to a new kitchen worktop, all images that showcase concrete as an intrinsic part of people’s lives

Benjamin Sporton, Chief Executive of the GCCA said:

“This competition is a great opportunity to show the world what we at the GCCA already know – that concrete is a versatile, innovative and essential building block for our society. We hope that the entrants will be inspired by the myriad ways in which it is being used all over the world. “

Entering the competition is easy. Entrants can post a picture that they have taken on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #ConcreteinLife, whilst also using the hashtag for the category they would like to enter. These are #UrbanConcrete, #PracticalConcrete and #SmallScaleConcrete.

A judging panel of photography and industry experts will select a professional and amateur winner from each category, as well as one overall “Best Concrete in Life” photo of the year winner from the six finalists. The overall winner will win a $10,000 prize as well as the chance to join an awards dinner at the GCCA Conference in Singapore on 10^th October 2019. Each of the five remaining amateur and professional winners will each win a $2,500 prize.

Judging the entries are:

• John Fairley, Photographer and Creative Director of Curious Productions.
• Gian Luca Barone, Senior Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects.
• Benjamin Sporton, Chief Executive of the GCCA.

As one of the most widely used man-made materials on the planet, concrete can be found all around us: in the houses we live in and the offices we work in; the roads we drive on and the pavements we walk along; in the bridges that connect us; the windfarms that provide us with energy; and the sea barriers that protect us.

As the authoritative voice for the cement and concrete sector across the world, the GCCA is working to highlight how concrete is a resilient, versatile, innovative and often beautiful building material that shapes the world we live in today. Whilst also working to ensure it is a sustainable, safe and durable solution for the needs of future generations.

The competition will run from today until 11 September 2019. Full competition details can be found at https://gccassociation.org/concreteinlife.

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 national and regional level.