Competition: Photo of the Year 2020 is open

International Architectural Photo Competition for Students

Aarhus School of Architecture proudly announces the second edition of the international competition, Photo Of The Year, which is a joint collaboration with Dreyers Foundation and Dinesen. Architecture students from all over the world are invited to participate in the international competition that celebrates architectural photography.

“Photography is easy. Photography is difficult” (Paul Graham). Mobile devices allow many of us easy access to picture making, but in order to understand the power of the image, question the meaning of visibility and explore different ways of seeing, we need practitioners who are devoted to photography: Architects, artists and photographers who study, work, experiment, fail and repeat. As we’re surrounded by and constantly contributing to an abundance of circulated imagery, it is as important as ever to be reminded of the complexities and magic of photography”, says, Louise Wolthers, Head of Research and Curator at The Hasselblad Foundation.

This year’s theme is Social Distancing/Proximity, and the jury calls for photos that describe the unaccostumed phenomenon of Social Distancing orphotos that show alternatives and hope for Social Proximity and production of shared space.

No wonder, this year’s theme takes its inspiration from the global Corona Crisis, which with the beat of a butterfly´s wing has united – and separated – the whole world in fear, isolation and eventually – death. The virus has left public spaces like stations, stadions, schools, and streets empty and dramatically influenced the way we live, work and die. The question is, how do we take back common urban space, and how do we reinvent social life after the pandemic? Will temporary Social Distancing affect architecture in the future? Is it possible to go from developing architecture that encourages social proximity, to architecture that obstructs human relations? What is the role of architecture in this challenging situation?

All photographic media is welcome, analogue or digital, colour or black/white, zoom or panorama, post-processed or raw, as long as the photography interprets architecture, allowing the audience to include their own spatial experiences, relations and memories.