Promotion: the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has announced the winners of its annual Concrete in Life photography competition that aims to highlight the "beauty and essential role that concrete plays around the world".

The winners were picked from 21,000 entries submitted by professional and amateur photographers across the globe, with subjects ranging from skyscrapers, urban cityscapes and transport infrastructure to sea defences and rice fields.

The results were announced this week at the opening of a new exhibition at London's Brunswick Art Gallery, where more than 100 photographs from the competition's five-year history went on show for the first time.

The top accolade, Concrete in Life Photo of the Year, was awarded to Saeed Rezvanian for his black and white photograph of a boy flying a kite on the steps of the Teopanzolco Cultural Center in Mexico. Rezvanian received the grand prize of $10,000.

"My photo shows how concrete develops both artistic and functional environments in our lives. I was captivated by the children playing amongst the beautiful structures," said Rezvanian. "It's a great honour to win the Concrete in Life 2023 competition."

The image received praise from the judging panel, with Digital Camera World content director Chris George describing it as "a beautifully framed image and a good use of black and white".

A new award, the People's Vote Prize, was introduced this year to mark the competition's fifth anniversary. Decided by a public vote, the $5,000 prize was presented to Muhammad Murudin for his photograph of the Mandara Toll Road in Bali.

"This toll road is built on the sea that connects the city of Denpasar, Ngurah Rai International Airport and Nusa Dua in Bali," explained Murudin.

"It is a great honour to be one of the winners of the Concrete in Life 2023 photography competition and show how concrete is an excellent link between people in my country."

Submissions were divided into four categories, with a winner from each category also receiving $2,500.

Owen Davies was recognised in the Urban Concrete category for his photo of the Armstrong Rubber Building in New Haven, Connecticut, in the US.

Andre Hidayat Arrasuli's image of the New Priok Container Terminal in Jakarta, Indonesia won the Concrete Infrastructure category.

Alexander Arregui Leszczynska was awarded the top prize in the Concrete Beauty and Design category for his image of the Maurerhalle lecture hall in Basel, Switzerland.

Meanwhile, A P Hari Wibowo was named the Concrete in Daily Life category winner for their photo of the Aquatic Stadium Gelora Bung Karno, also in Jakarta.

"Many congratulations to Saeed Rezvanian, and all this year's winners. Their outstanding images highlight how concrete is so many things – strong and enduring, but also touching and beautiful, supporting our many lives across the planet," said GCCA chief executive Thomas Guillot, who helped judge the competition.

"Now, with the public exhibition to mark five years of the competition, we hope as many people as possible get the chance to see for themselves just how impressive the images are."

The Concrete in Life exhibition is open until 28 March at the Brunswick Art Gallery and is free to visit.

For more information about the Concrete in Life photography competition and to see the winning and shortlisted photographs, visit the GCCA website.

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This article was written by Dezeen for GCCA as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.