GCCA launches Concrete in Life photo competition
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched its 2024/25 "Concrete in Life" global photography competition during New York Climate Week.
The competition aims to highlight the importance of concrete in our daily lives, with a focus on sustainability and innovation.
To celebrate the launch, an exhibition showcasing dozens of outstanding photographs from the past five years was held in New York. The competition, which is free to enter, is open to anyone—whether professional photographers, amateurs, or even those with just a smartphone. Tens of thousands of entries from around the world are expected, with the overall winner receiving a top prize of $10,000 (£7,450).
The GCCA's chief executive, Thomas Guillot, explained why New York Climate Week was chosen for the launch. "Our Concrete in Life competition gives communities across the globe a chance to show just how essential concrete is to building a more sustainable world," he said. "It was important to give people attending NYCW the opportunity to see the role concrete plays in supporting society and communities across the planet."
The competition features four categories: Urban Concrete, Concrete Infrastructure, Concrete in Daily Life, and Beauty and Design. In addition to the top prize, category winners will receive $2,500 (£1,860), and a People’s Vote winner will be awarded $5,000 (£3,720). The winners will be announced in March 2025.
Diane Hoskins, global co-chair of the architecture and design firm Gensler, joins the judging panel for the first time. She emphasised the versatility of concrete, stating, "Concrete is one of the most ubiquitous building materials, opening up incredible opportunities for innovation and creativity."
The UK’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is also partnering with this year’s competition. RICS president Tina Paillet, a member of the judging panel, said: "Concrete is essential to modern infrastructure and meeting net zero targets. I’m excited to see the inspiring photographs that will be submitted."
Earlier this year, a public exhibition in London marked five years of the competition, drawing significant public interest. Fellow judge Chris George, content director at Digital Camera World, praised the competition, saying it continues to "prove it is possible to take stunning shots of architecture and the man-made environment that show off the beauty of this universal building material."
For more information on how to enter, visit the GCCA website.
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