Winners announced in prestigious photo competition which highlights beauty and essential role of concrete throughout world

A stunning image of a skateboard park in the United Arab Emirates has been named Concrete in Life Photo of the Year. It wins a top prize of $10,000 (ten thousand US dollars) in a global competition, which highlights the essential role that concrete plays around the world.

The photo, taken by professional photographer, Ferdz Bedana, in Sharjah, was announced as the overall winner in a live Instagram broadcast, on 15th February. It was selected from more than 14,000 photos submitted by both amateur and professional photographers from every continent, in the annual competition run by the Global Cement and Concrete Association.

Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive said: “Concrete is the second most used substance on earth after water and plays a vital part in modern infrastructure and society. Through the work of the GCCA and our members, to implement our 2050 Net Zero Roadmap, we are working hard and making progress in reducing its environmental impact. These amazing photos capture the appeal of concrete design and the essential role it plays in modern life and communities everywhere.”

Entrants from around the world submitted photos across four categories: concrete infrastructure, concrete beauty and design, urban concrete, and concrete in daily life, with each section divided between professional photographers and amateurs, often with smart phones. The breadth and variety of all the entries highlight the way concrete supports life around the world, from the giant to the small form, as well as the material’s grace, beauty and crucial supporting role.

Eight category winners each receive a prize of $2,500 (two thousand, five hundred US dollars) each. As well as Ferdz Bedana’s skateboarder image, the category winners include images of a waterfall and a roller-skater race, both taken in Indonesia, a stunning city interchange in China, rice mills in Bangladesh, a university building in Mexico, a metro station in Dubai and a Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ferdz Bedana who took the overall Concrete in Life Photo of Year in Sharjah, said: “It’s a great honour to be the overall winner of the Concrete in Life 2022 competition and spread the story of how concrete is a big contribution in our life. I was interested to take a photo of this skatepark when I saw a boy enjoying playing in a substantially artistic concrete design.”

Chris George, Content Director at Digital Camera World, and one of the competition judges said about the winning photo: “This was an amazing capture, that perfectly shows the energy of skateboarding against the organic form of the manmade structure.”

Fellow judge, freelance writer and photographer Norman Miller added: “It’s a real skill to capture fast moving subject while showing mastery of framing and control of lighting.”

Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive added: “Congratulations to Ferdz Bedana and all our category winners. Check out our website to see all the shortlisted entries who were all outstanding.”

The GCCA and its member companies, which account for 80% of global cement production capacity outside of China, as well as key Chinese manufacturers, are committed to reducing and eliminating CO2 emissions through implementation of the Concrete Future – 2050 Net Zero Roadmap – the first heavy industry to set out such a detailed plan.

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Additional quotes from category winners:
Joey Reginaldo, Urban Concrete Amateur. Location of image: Dubai. “I took the image because I was amazed not only by its futuristic design but also, I want to showcase how concrete can play a major role to create such stunning design. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to promote concrete as one of the important factors to make our world a better place to live in.”

Dinar Wahyu Herlambang, Concrete Infrastructure Amateur. Location: Watu Purbo waterfall, Indonesia: “It’s delightful that my photo can deliver visualisation of the importance of concrete as vital infrastructure for our environment that supports the lives of people around it, just like the dam of Mt. Merapi, Indonesia.” 

Chek Poh Wong, Concrete Infrastructure Professional. Location: Guangzhou China: “I am extremely delighted to win my first competition of the year. It struck me how massive such a road network is when I saw the aerial view and the amount of concrete that goes into the constructions. Concrete plays an important role in our daily lives.  The safety, convenience, and sustainability it brings cannot be underestimated.”

Muhana Syafiquddary, Concrete in Daily Life Amateur. Location: Yogyakarta, Indonesia: “I wanted to capture the role of concrete in daily life, especially in roller skate sport that uses concrete for creating the circuit. It is an honour for me to win the Concrete in Life 2022 competition and tell the story of how concrete is bringing benefits to our life and my country.”

Azim Khan Ronnie, Concrete in Daily Life Professional. Location: Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh: “I am honoured and delighted to be a winner in the Concrete in Life 2022 competition. Everyday our livelihood is dependent on concrete. In this picture we can see rice/paddy drying in the large rice mill, whose surface is made with concrete. Without the concrete surface the rice can’t be drying and ready for our essential food.”

Mariana Rios, Concrete Beauty and Design, Amateur, Location: Monterrey, Mexico: “I am delighted to be a winner of the Concrete in Life 2022 competition and to share the beauty of architecture. The intention of my photography is to show how a monumental space is generated through light and shadow on concrete, which, by emphasising the human scale and its relationship with the environment, invites the user to meditate.”

Fatma Demir, Concrete Beauty and Design Professional. Location: Sancaklar Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey: “My picture demonstrates what stunning architecture can be created from concrete. This amazing building opened in 2014 and has won many prestigious awards for its innovative architecture and use of materials. I was excited to visit and lucky to capture this image of a young boy playing.”