Art of Building photography competition now open

Press release:
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has announced that its annual international digital photography competition is now inviting entries. ‘The Art of Building' aims to encourage entrants from around the world to explore and capture the art of building in an imaginative, inspiring and thought-provoking way. 

Last year, the competition attracted over 1,000 entries from as far afield as Iran, Australia, India and China. The top prize was scooped by photographer, Jim Dunn whose dramatic photograph <http://www.artofbuilding.org/> , depicting the construction of the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, beat off tough competition to win the public vote.

“Professionally, winning the competition gave me a real boost” says Dunn. “I used the prize money to fund a photography trip to New York. There are so many iconic buildings there I was spoiled for choice.” 

This year, entries will be split into four categories: Building Inspiration, Between People and Buildings, Creative Visions and Young Photographer of the Year. “The quality of entries last year was very high and the interpretation of the brief extremely varied, which made reaching a decision on the finalists really challenging for the judges,” says CIOB Art of Building manager, Saul Townsend.

“This year, we expect submissions to be even more impressive, which will make the job even tougher for our discerning press and industry panel.”

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18, whether professional or amateur. Entrants are encouraged to capture the built environment in a way not seen before, to inspire others and to challenge people’s perceptions. Most importantly however, the CIOB aims to provoke people to have fun and gain a new perspective on the world around them.

“The spirit of the competition is about sharing and inspiring others with unique and creative visions of an innovative industry,” says CIOB chief executive, Chris Blythe. 

 “Few of us take the time to really look at our homes, offices and public buildings and consider the amazing diversity of architectural styles, as well as how practical and fundamental buildings are for society and what they say about our cultures. The imagery should be original and thought provoking but most of all we want entrants to enjoy taking photographs of this great industry.”

Facts
·        The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 and is free to enter

·        A panel of industry judges will be responsible for shortlisting 12 finalists, all of whom will receive international recognition in industry and national media 

·        The overall winner, to be decided by public vote, will also scoop a cash prize of £1500 and crowned ‘Art of Building Photographer of the Year’

·        Up to three photographs per person may be entered into the competition across the categories

·        Entries may be digitally enhanced or altered but must be submitted via the website in a JPEG format between 2mb and 8mb per photo. Entries will not be accepted outside of the advertised closing date or if they are embedded with borders or locks

·        The competition will be open for entry until May 31