CBRE Announces Winners of 2018 Global Urban Photography Competition

Mar 30, 2018 11:00 AM ET

LOS ANGELES, March 30, 2018 /3BL Media/ - With more than 80,000 entries from 180+ countries, CBRE’s Urban Photographer of the Year competition’s 11th year was its largest and broadest reaching. Richard Morgan, from the United Kingdom, has been named the overall winner of the competition. Mr. Morgan’s image, “What are you looking at?” captures a fascinating street side scene in Poznan, Poland, of a group of onlookers, entranced by a tourist attraction, disrupted by one, direct stare.

Mel Chennell from the United Kingdom was named as the overall winner of the Mobile Category. Her winning mobile image, “Truly Connected?” captures a scene in a London train station and encourages the viewer to question the true meaning of connections in our digital and physical worlds.

Regional winners were also named. The Americas prize was awarded to Alec Herrera from the United States for his entry, “Good morning, Auckland,” depicting the New Zealand city’s skyline from a camper’s perspective. The Asia Pacific prize went to M Yousuf Tusha from Bangladesh for his entry, “Betel Nut,” a striking image of a farmer amongst a sea of betel nuts in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The EMEA prize was awarded to Ian Harper from the United Kingdom for his entry, “Barcelona from Above,” a photograph capturing the beauty and symmetry of Barcelona from dizzying heights.

The competition, which delivers powerful views into urban life, is run annually by CBRE, the world’s leading commercial real estate services and investment firm. This year, amateur and professional photographers were challenged to capture moments of urban connectivity and interactivity through the brief, “Cities of Connections: People, Places, Perspectives.”

Martin Samworth, Group President and Chief Executive Officer of CBRE in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said, “The competition continues to grow in terms of influence and impact, with this year delivering a record number of entries and importantly, a tremendous amount of high quality work.”

“The images we received truly embody the spirit of city life and human interaction around the world, and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this year’s record-setting competition.”

The top prize is a special photography trip to a destination of the winner’s choice for themselves and a friend. Regional winners will receive photography drones and the mobile winner will receive a GoPro package.

Paul Suchman, CBRE’s Global Chief Marketing Officer, noted, “The competition continues to extend the CBRE brand’s reach and relevance into territories and audiences beyond our core. Its growing influence underscores CBRE’s role as a thought leader on the urban environment and within the cities we serve.”

“The quality and composition of the photos continues to get stronger every year. The body of work we reviewed was exemplary and a wonderful testament to the passion of the human spirit.”

In acknowledgement of all photographs submitted, CBRE will donate £10,000 to global children’s charity Plan International, CBRE’s EMEA charity partner. CBRE has been supporting Plan International since 2014, raising over £1 million to fund a program in Sierra Leone to help girls to complete their education. CBRE has recently embarked on a new two-year project in Nairobi, Kenya with the charity called Safer Cities. This program aims to transform urban centers from potentially dangerous spaces into places of inclusion, tolerance and opportunity for everyone, especially girls.

About CBRE Group, Inc.

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2017 revenue). The company has more than 80,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate investors and occupiers through approximately 450 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

About Plan International

Plan International UK is an independent development and humanitarian charity that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries. www.plan-uk.org