Concrete in Life Photo of the Year from Venice Beach wins $10,000 top prize
20,000+ entries from all around the world from professionals and smartphone amateurs
Concrete is the world’s most used substance after water
(BUSINESS WIRE) -- A stunning image of a skateboarder at Venice Beach, California, USA has been named Concrete in Life Photo of the Year 2024/25. It was selected from more than 20,000 entries to the annual global competition, run by the GCCA, which highlights the beauty and essential role that concrete plays around the world.
The image, which wins a top prize of $10,000 (ten thousand US dollars) was taken by Henrik Hagerup, at Venice Beach Skate Park, Los Angeles, USA. The park’s concrete bowls were inspired by LA’s abandoned swimming pool skating scene of the 1970’s. Henrik’s photo was announced as this year’s winner along with 4 category winners and a people’s vote champion.
Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive who helped to judge this year’s competition said: “The stunning images highlight concrete’s positive impact on our lives right across the planet. Whether it’s the vital infrastructure such a bridges, railways and roads that we travel along or the homes, offices and schools we inhabit, concrete is a truly versatile material. Our competition gives anyone with a smartphone as well as professional photographers, the chance to show just how essential concrete is to our lives, as well as how beautiful it can be.”
Henrik Hagerup, whose overall winning photo captured a sublime moment at Venice Beach, USA said: “My image is a tribute to the way concrete, when embraced by creativity and passion, fosters connection, dreams, and boundless potential not just in skate parks, but in communities across the world. It’s a great honour to win the Concrete in Life 2024/25 competition.”
Entries were submitted from every continent and included images of skyscrapers and the modern urban world, as well as key infrastructure such as transport networks, including railways, bridges and roads, and other important structures such as sea defences and dams. The photos also show more intimate human interactions in villages and playgrounds, as well as exquisitely designed architecture and much more.
Diane Hoskins, Global Co-Chair of Gensler, one the world’s leading design and architecture companies, and competition judge said, "These winning images highlight the importance of concrete in the breadth of our lives – and they reinforce the importance of decarbonising concrete. Great design of our buildings and infrastructure is enabled by the important properties of concrete.”
As well as the overall winner, four other category winners were also announced, each receiving a prize of $2,500 USD. Anvar Sadath TA was named category winner in the Urban Concrete category, for his photo called ‘Urban Flow’ set in Dubai, UAE, which includes the iconic Burj Khalifa. A photo of a Washington, D.C. subway station by Wentao Guo called ‘Structure as Aesthetics’ won the Concrete Infrastructure category. Wellington Kuswanto won the Concrete in Daily Life category for his picture of Bedok Jetty, Singapore. The Beauty and Design category was won by Artemio Layno for their photo ‘Broken Building’ set in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The People’s Vote prize, chosen by the public with a $5,000 USD prize, was won by Mohamed Rafi for his picture ‘Fluttering Through Life’ set in Pondicherry, India.
Chris George, Content Director at Digital Camera World, who also judged this year’s competition said “Concrete is all around us and has a beauty that might not always be obvious to some people. The Concrete in Life global photography competition continues to prove it is possible to take stunning shots of architecture and the manmade environment that show off the beauty of this universal building material.”
All the winners and shortlisted pictures as well as an online version of the gallery can be viewed at https://gccassociation.org/concreteinlife2425/
Notes to editors:
Winning images can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZZqviAV_vSTcv_YF1hYyAnWO3IACuOSj?usp=drive_link
The full shortlist is available to download on our website: https://gccassociation.org/concreteinlife2425/
You can view our winners video here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MZm7snv0bBMMUX_JHLRAJEgBRSwfPSwT?usp=drive_link
Additional quotes from winners:
Henrik Hagerup, Overall winner - Venice Beach Skating, said: “I am truly honoured, overjoyed, and deeply humbled that you have chosen my image to represent GCCA as the Overall Winner of the Concrete in Life 2024/25 Competition.
I captured my picture at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, a vibrant destination where people from all over the world come to enjoy the sun, the ocean and not least, the iconic skate park, this vibrant space is a magnet for creativity, where something exciting is always unfolding. When in L.A. I often spend hours here, camera in hand, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to emerge.
My image is a tribute to the way concrete, when embraced by creativity and passion, fosters connection, dreams, and boundless potential not just in skate parks, but in communities across the world."
Anvar Sadath TA, Urban Concrete category winner - Urban Flow set in Dubai, said: "I am honoured to be the winner of the Concrete in Life 2024/25 competition in the Urban Concrete category! My winning photograph captures the dynamic relationship between concrete structures and the vibrant cityscape, reflecting how concrete shapes our urban experiences.
Wellington Kuswanto Concrete in Daily Life category winner - Bedok Jetty in Singapore, said: “I’m truly thrilled that the judges selected my photo as the winner in the daily life category. Bedok Jetty holds a special place for me, as I cycle and hang out there every weekend. It inspired me to submit the image of this particular place for the competition, as it showcases a public space made of concrete structure that is actively used by many people engaging in various activities as part of their daily lives”
Wentao Guo winner of Concrete Infrastructure category – Structure as Aesthetics set in Washington, D.C. USA said: “I took this photo at one of the Washington, D.C. subway stations designed by Harry Weese. I was captivated by the moment when the transience of transportation runs into the permanence of concrete. I am very honored to be a winner of the Concrete in Life 24/25 competition, having a valuable opportunity to reveal the essence of concrete in our built environment through my lens.”
Artemio Layno, Concrete Beauty and Design category winner - Broken Building set in Amsterdam, Netherlands said: “I am really happy and grateful that my photo is chosen to be a winner of the Concrete in Life 24/25 competition. I took the photo in Amsterdam, Netherlands and I was amazed how creative and modern the design of the building is, it looks like it was cut-out and separated in the middle of the main structure, the design is created by a large number of terraces. Concrete is not just used as a necessity in creating structures, but it can also be used to showcase artistic works that are amazingly beautiful.”
Mohamed Rafi, Peoples Vote winner – Fluttering Through Life set in Pondicherry, India, said: "I am truly honoured to win the People’s Vote Category of the Concrete in Life 2024/25 competition. This photograph, taken in Pondicherry India, captures an everyday moment transformed by art: an elderly woman walking past a mural, unknowingly aligning with its butterfly wings painted in a wall. To me, it symbolizes resilience, unseen beauty, and how our surroundings shape us in ways we don’t always realise. Street photography is about finding meaning in fleeting moments, and I’m thrilled that this image resonated with so many people."
Judges
Diane Hoskins, Global Co-Chair of Gensler
Chris George, Content Director at Digital Camera World
Thomas Guillot, CEO of the GCCA
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250331880604/en/
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Contacts
Paul Adeleke
Paul.Adeleke@gccassocation.org
