Budding architectural photographers and professionals alike, there’s still time: The 2nd Annual One Photo Challenge, Architizer’s iconic architectural photography competition, is accepting entries until April 16th, 2021!
The competition poses a simple question: Can you capture a single photograph that tells a powerful story about architecture and those that inhabit it? Once again, two Grand Prizes of $2,500 are on offer for one student and one non-student respectively, while the top 100 photographs will be published in one of Architizer’s most highly-anticipated features of the year.
With worldwide exposure and big prizes up for grabs, as well as a chance to be a part of a huge, global celebration of architectural photography, the One Photo Challenge is not to be missed this year. Hit the blue button below to get started on your submission:
Note: We have updated our system, and you must now use your Architizer login credentials to access your One Photo Challenge account. For those that entered last year’s One Photo Challenge, you will need to create a new account to submit your photo for this year’s program.
Assenza” by Enrico Lanfredini, Finalist in last year’s One Photo Challenge
Competition Brief
With the birth of the smartphone, millions of people around the world gained access to incredibly advanced cameras, opening up the world of architectural photography to the global public. But while anyone can snap a photo, it takes more to create a truly compelling image. What kind of photograph captures the essence of a place? What can it tell us about the people that live, work and play within it? Can a photograph tell us a larger story about the cultural context of a home, city or country?
Your task for the One Photo Challenge is as follows: Submit one photograph that powerfully communicates an architectural form or space, capturing the essence of the place and the experience of those that would inhabit it. It can be located anywhere in the world and be at any scale. It can be taken from a wide angle or close up, show a whole building or just a detail, and be located anywhere in the world. As long as your photo portrays part or all of a building or group of buildings, it is eligible. This should be accompanied by a short description of your photograph, no more than 150 words.
“Shek O” by Peter Molick, Finalist in last year’s One Photo Challenge
Top Prizes
The two top winners (one student, one non-student) will each receive:
- $2,500 prize money
- A Fujifilm INSTAX Wide camera
- Coverage on Architizer Journal and social media promotion
- An exclusive interview discussing your work published in Architizer Journal
Ten additional runners-up will feature in the Winners’ Announcement and receive extensive coverage across Architizer Journal and all social media platforms. One hundred finalists in total (including the top winners and runners-up) will be published in our special feature “100 Photographs That Tell Powerful Stories About Architecture”, to be distributed to thousands of architecture firms and millions more via Architizer’s social media channels.
“Shades of blue” by Florence Rosar, Finalist in last year’s One Photo Challenge
The One Photo Challenge Jury
The 100 Finalists will be selected by Architizer’s team of in-house competition jurors. These finalists will then be scored by our expert jury, which includes practitioners and thought leaders from the worlds of architecture and photography.
Confirmed jurors include:
- Ema Peter, A+Award-winning architectural photographer.
- Hufton + Crow, world-renowned photographers Nick Hufton and Al Crow, whose clients include Zaha Hadid Architects, BIG and Heatherwick Studio.
- Ana Mello, renowned Brazlian architect and architecture photographer, featured in Architectural Digest’s “5 new latin architecture photographers“.
- Krista Jahnke, one of Canada’s leading architectural photographers.
- Sebastian Weiss, otherwise known as le_blanc — Instagram’s most popular photographer of minimalist architectural details.
- Paul Clemence, renowned architectural photographer and founder of the huge Archi-Photo community, home to almost 1 million followers!
- Aldo Amoretti, A+Award-winning architectural photographer who took the photo on the cover of 2018 “The World’s Best Architecture” compendium. Explore his Instagram @aldoamoretti.
“Waiting for your come-back” by Zhao Yi Long, Finalist in last year’s One Photo Challenge
Enter Architecture’s Biggest Photography Competition
The One Photo Challenge provides a compelling opportunity to illuminate the communicative power of both architecture as a discipline, and photography as a medium. As mentioned earlier, this competition is not limited to professionals; everyone with a passion for photography is invited to apply. If you have an eye for composition, light and shade, and visual narrative, your images may well be contenders for the $2,500 Top Prizes.
For more information, check out the FAQs, the Jurors Page and the Judging Criteria. We can’t wait to see your photographs, and share them with the world!
Note: We have updated our system, and you must now use your Architizer login credentials to access your One Photo Challenge account. For those that entered last year’s One Photo Challenge, you will need to create a new account to submit your photo for this year’s program.
