CB Richard Ellis announces Urban Photographer of the Year

Manuel Lamosa de Melo has won CB Richard Ellis’ (CBRE) international Urban Photographer of the Year competition for his portrayal of a Tunisian market stall. The competition, which was open to amateur and professional photographers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and is the largest of its kind in the world, attracted more than 10,000 entries, a record number since the competition began in 2006.

The judging panel, which included professional photographers from around the world, praised the Portuguese photographer’s image of a brass carver in Tunis, which vividly captures the theme of the competition, ‘Cities at Work’. The competition attracted entries from 74 different countries across the region, and covered subject matter as diverse as street performers in Edinburgh to the Eiffel tower by moonlight.

Annemiek van der Kuil from Amsterdam has won the country competition for the Netherlands. The judges were captured by her image of a biker crossing the busy Leidsestraat in Amsterdam. van der Kuil has some experience as a photographer and is inspired by the dynamical aspect of street photograpy.

Competition entrants also took part in a survey which polled the more than 10,000 participants on their favourite city, landmark, pastime and moments. The survey revealed that Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is more popular than the Colosseum in Rome, New York’s Chrysler Building and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Asked to select their favourite building worldwide, 11 per cent of participants chose the Dubai skyscraper over some of the more iconic historical landmarks, which received 8 per cent, 6 per cent, and 2.5 per cent of the vote respectively.

European cities also triumphed in the poll, which asked entrants to nominate their favourite city in the world. London topped the charts, with New York the only non-European city to feature in the top 10 (other top 10 cities featured included Paris, Barcelona, Budapest, Lisbon, Vienna, Rome, St Petersburg and Prague).

Mike Strong, Chairman & CEO of CB Richard Ellis – EMEA, and a judge in the competition, commented: “The winning image perfectly encapsulates the spirit and contrasts of modern city life – the solemnity of brass carving in a busy market in Tunis. This year the quality of images received has been exceptional, attracting a record number of snapshots that capture the essence of urban life.

“The poll results reveal some fascinating trends; the world’s tallest building is more popular today than the Colosseum, which highlights the enduring relevance of the built environment. Every urban landscape has its own nuances, demonstrated by the huge range of entries we received, and as a company with global reach and thousands of local specialists, understanding what makes different cities tick is how we deliver depth of knowledge to our clients.”