Concrete in Life Photo of the Year winner announced

Prestigious GCCA competition highlights the beauty and essential role of concrete throughout the world

A STUNNING image of a skateboard park in the United Arab Emirates has been named Concrete in Life Photo of the Year, winning the top prize of US$10,000 in the global competition highlighting the essential role that concrete plays around the world.

The photo, taken by professional photographer Ferdz Bedana, in Sharjah, 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 (GCCA).

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.

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.’

Commenting on his winning entry, Ferdz Bedana 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.’