“The spectacular and the everyday” on show as global photography competition announces winners

New photos from around the world capture the beauty, importance, and sustainability of ‘concrete in life’

• More than 13,500 worldwide entries to the GCCA’s annual Concrete in Life global photography competition highlight concrete’s crucial role in society
• Overall winner claims top prize of $10,000, with category winners receiving $2,500

(London: 4 February 2022) – The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has today announced the winners of its ‘Concrete in Life 2021’ global photography competition, which celebrates the beauty, importance, and sustainability of concrete – the most widely used human-made material – in today’s world. The entries were judged by a panel that included a senior architect at a world-renowned firm, a creative director, and the editor of a leading architectural magazine.

More than 13,500 entries from across the worldwere submitted to the competition by professional and amateur photographers across the world over social media and via email. Agung Lawerissa was named the overall winner for his enticing photograph of children playing football on the shore in front of the iconic Merah Putih Bridge – which connects the Leihitu Peninsula and the Lei Timur Peninsula in Indonesia.

Entrants were tasked with capturing what concrete means to people around the world across four categories – Urban Concrete, Concrete Infrastructure, Concrete in Daily Life and Sustainable Concrete. Photos ranged from urban scenes to playparks, from beautiful architecture to essential transport networks, and from the modern wonders we can see to the hidden infrastructure often out of sight.

The sustainable concrete category was newly created for the 2021 competition to showcase how concrete is used to underpin sustainable communities across the world. The competition to celebrate concrete coincided with the launch by the GCCA of a global industry commitment and roadmap for net zero concrete by 2050.

The winners of the photography sustainability category were Hakan Çöplü in the amateur category, for his compelling photograph of a man scrambling across a sea defence in Turkey; and Rahmad Himawan in the professional category,for his stunning photograph of rice fields in an agricultural area of Indonesia with a small concrete road, enabling key farming activities to take place and supporting the community to thrive.

The competition ran from August to November 2021. The overall winner takes the top prize of $10,000, with each of the category winners receiving $2,500. Judging the competition were:

• Isabel Allen, Editor, Architecture Today
• John Fairley, Photographer and Creative Director of Curious Productions
• Gian Luca Barone, Senior Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects
• Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the GCCA

Isabel Allen, editor of Architecture Journal said: “It was brilliant to see such high-quality photography from around the world. The built environment – homes, offices, schools, roads and other vital infrastructure – is key to the quality of human existence and I was particularly struck by those images that captured the way the built environment can bestow an element of poetry on the rituals of everyday life.”

GCCA CEO Thomas Guillot said: “The winners of the competition have shown beautifully how closely we live and interact with concrete. Some of the photos were spectacular and some focused more on the everyday, and how concrete enables our lives across the planet.

“Concrete will play a key role in our sustainable future, so we are thrilled the competition captured the imagination from almost every corner of the world. We give our thanks to all those who entered and congratulate our deserved winners.”

Agung Lewarissa, overall winner of Concrete in Life, said: “I took my photo in the city of Ambon, Indonesia. I was interested in capturing this moment because there was a group of children playing soccer in the sand at low tide with Merah Putih bride in the background. The bridge was built to speed up the travel time between Patimura Airport on the Lei Hitu Penisula, Central Maluku in the north and Ambon City Center on the East Lei Peninsula in the south. It is a great honour to win the Concrete in Life 2021 competition and tell the story of how concrete is bringing communities together in my country.”

Overall winner: Agung Lawerissa, @lawerisaid, Merah Putih Bridge in Indonesia

“I took my photo in the city of Ambon, Indonesia. I was interested in capturing this moment because there was a group of children playing soccer in the sand at low tide with Merah Putih bride in the background. The bridge was built to speed up the travel time between Patimura Airport on the Lei Hitu Peninsula, Central Maluku in the north and Ambon City Center on the East Lei Peninsula in the south. It is a great honour to win the Concrete in Life 2021 competition and tell the story of how concrete is bringing communities together in my country.”

Urban Concrete Amateur: Mario Pereda, Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre, Avilés, Spain

“I captured this image to reflect how concrete is not just an essential part of our lives (it would be very difficult to build most of the necessary infrastructure in contemporary societies without it), but also, thanks to its versatility, it allows us to develop functional and aesthetically attractive environments in which to enrich our lives.”

Urban Concrete Professional: Michael Sidharta @mikesidharta The Interlace, Singapore

“The Interlace is an apartment building complex located at the boundary between ‘Bukit Merah’ and ‘Queenstown’ in Singapore. I like this building because it’s very unique and also surrounded by urban forest. It captures the balance of nature, while showing extraordinary strength and resilience in life.”

Concrete Infrastructure Amateur: Agung Lawerissa @lawerisaid, Merah Putih Bridge in Indonesia

Concrete Infrastructure Professional: Sara Goli, @Sara63001802, Chitgar Complex, Iran

“I took this photograph because of the striking lines and the strong foundations. The concrete structure can be used comfortably, and helps the city looks more beautiful and feel safe.”

Concrete in Daily Life Amateur: Amri Arfianto, @Amri_Arfianto, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, UAE

“The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a modern model of Islamic architecture, which is unique in its creative and architectural design. This is evident in its corridors and halls, which has made it a leading global cultural destination on the world tourism map. The SZGM attracts worshipers and tourists every year and is one of the most visited buildings in the world. My picture tells the story of how people can build a masterpiece in concrete and benefit people’s daily lives.”

Concrete in Daily Life Professional: Niyazi Gürgen, @niyazi_gurgen, Turkey

“I took this photo in one of the old villages of Anatolia, Turkey. I wanted to document the difficult conditions women in this geography live under and how strong they are. It is difficult to fit daily life skills and abilities into a single frame, but I managed to capture it in an aesthetic way. Just as the woman balances the bread she carries on her back, she resists all the difficulties of life and struggles to keep her family in balance. These concrete stairs, which she climbs up and down many times, make it easier for her to do the hard work she has to do every day.”

Sustainable Concrete Amateur: Hakan Çöplü, @hakan_coplu, Sea defences, Turkey

“I took this photo while visiting the fishing port in Istanbul. I saw the concrete cubes made to protect the port from sea waves which helps the worker to work safely. It shows how concrete provides a sustainable environment.”

Sustainable Concrete Professional: Rahmad Himawan, Indonesia

“Concrete is important in supporting human life. My photo shows a concrete road section in the middle of a rice field located in a small village in Kemumu village in Indonesia. The road makes it easy for farmers to get to work and carry out their crucial daily activities – enabling our sustainable communities to thrive. It is also used as a road for recreation, travel, and for appreciating the natural scenery around here.”

Notes to editors:

The full winners’ list and images are attached. In addition to the six winners, the competition judges selected a shortlist which is viewable on the GCCA website.

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.

Media enquiries should be directed to:

Matt Peacock

GCCA@BCW-global.com