Sydney, 15 October 2015 – Oscar Rialubin from the Philippines has been named as the winner of the CBRE Urban Photographer of the Year competition. Mr. Rialbun’s image, ‘Xyclops’, shows a watch repairman at work in Doha, Qatar. With more than 21,000 entries from 113 countries, this year was the competition’s largest.
The annual competition, which offers unprecedented insight into urban life, is run by CBRE, the world’s leading commercial real estate services and investment firm. Amateur and professional photographers are challenged to capture the essence of the urban environment through the brief of ‘Cities at Work’. This year, entrants provided a unique insight in to urban life through a range of images including window cleaners scaling great heights, crammed commuters at Japan’s busiest station and a vibrant New York intersection, taken from a Manhattan skyscraper.
This year’s winner, Oscar Rialubin, commented on the competition: “To be named as the ‘CBRE Urban Photographer of the Year’ is a great accolade. I have been passionate about street photography for a number of years and I knew my shot of a watch repairman in the middle of his work, fitted the brief fantastically. The urban environment is a fascinating subject as it is one of constant change and activity, capturing that one perfect moment is a great feeling.”
The top prize is a luxury trip to a destination of the winner’s choice. Regional prizes are also awarded. The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) prize was awarded to Armen Dolukhanyan for his ‘Couple Policemen’ depicting a young couple, both in the police force, taking a break in Ukraine. The Asia Pacific prize went to Peter Graney from New Zealand for his ‘Poultry Prepared for Market’, a striking image of food being prepared for market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Christopher Martin was the winner of the Americas prize for the image ‘Winter Work’ of a plane being de-iced at Calgary International Airport, Canada.
For the first time, the 2015 competition included a mobile category. Technology’s continual advancement has meant that photographs taken on a mobile device, particularly those snapped in the moment, are as serious contenders as the ones taken by more traditional means. The winner, Cocu Liu, from China captured a fantastic image of the Chicago Board of Trading Building in Blizzard Days.
Martin Samworth, Chief Executive Officer, EMEA, CBRE said:“The competition constantly provides us with new perspectives on working environments within cities. This year was no exception and Rialubin’s intimate portrait of a watch repairman gives insight into a universal trade. Urban life is constantly changing and the beauty of the competition is that it has captured this every year through the winning images. This year’s competition is our largest most successful to date, however we have never lost focus on capturing the intricacies of everyday life that makes the competition special.”
Paul Suchman, Global Chief Marketing Officer, CBRE, added: “The competition continues to serve as a source of inspiration and creativity across all the communities we serve. Its reach and ability to build connectivity with the CBRE brand is simply fantastic. Our 2015 brief, ‘Cities at Work’, is a simple idea that invites participants to capture the energy and momentum of their community. As evidenced by the scale and diversity of the submissions we received, and by powerful work of Mr. Rialubin, this rally cry resonated across all markets.”
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