ENR's 2022 Year in Construction: Photo Contest Winners Provide Unique Window into Jobsites
ENR's 2022 Year in Construction: Photo Contest Winners Provide Unique Window into Jobsites
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The annual Year in Construction Photo Contest marks new beginnings here at ENRâitâs traditionally the first print edition as we turn the calendar page. But it also gives editors and readers a chance to look back at the incredible feats the industry has accomplished in the past 12 months.
This year, readers came out in force during our call for images that artistically capture the work performed at jobsites throughout the world, with 1,056 entries to the contest.
Judges Ephraim Lasar, architect with ikon.5 architects, ENR assistant editor Corinne Grinapol and Frannie Rutherford, consultant for ENR and an avid photographer, assembled in ENRâs Empire State Building office in New York City to review the entries. They were joined virtually by Wendy Zaremba-Just, senior art director with BNP Media, and photographer Jessica Savidge. Senior Art Director Scott Hilling guided the proceedings.
Related Links ENR's Year in Photos Slideshow
Grinapol, Lasar and Rutherford (L-R) judged in the ENR officesPhoto by Scott Hilling/ENR
âOne of the things I love most about this competition is that itâs accessible to seasoned pros and amateurs alike,â says Savidge. âWitnessing the spark of creativity and curiosity from someone new to photography is always a thrill.â
First, judges went through a speed dating-like round where each photo needed to receive at least one thumbs up from any of the judges to proceed to the second round. In the next round, votes were tallied from all the judges.
âThereâs something heroic about construction work,â says Rutherford. âSeeing ordinary processes matched with extraordinary images was really satisfying fun.â
Later, safety judge Steve Acosta, senior safety manager with Blach Construction, reviewed the short-listed batch of photos. He zoomed in and carefully evaluated each image to ensure that both workers and jobsite exhibited safe working practices and proper PPE. Only then did the 40 final selections become the winners that appear in this issue.
Jessica Savidge joined virtually.Photo courtesy of Jessica Savidge
Wendy Zaremba joined virtually.Photo courtesy of Wendy Zaremba-Just
âWhat I found fascinating,â Grinapol says, âwas seeing the diversity in what people responded to: the photographers, in the choices they made about subjects, angles, color, approaches; and the judges, in the photos that specific jurists found individually appealing, and those that captivated everyone.â
Readers picked the cover star from among six finalists that were posted in a poll on ENR.com. The photo by Mike Grantz took top honors with more than half the vote.
âThere was such a vast array of images that were submitted, it was extremely difficult to choose these winners,â says Zaremba-Just. âHowever, each judge brought their own light and insight [about what makes] these particular images stand out even more than just the beauty from a quick glance.â
Acosta evaluated safety.Photo courtesy of Steve Acosta
While each of this yearâs 40 winning photos were evaluated individually on their photographic merits by a panel of six judges, ENRâs senior art director Scott Hilling spotted a common theme that unites the winners. âAs I reviewed all of them, something was standing out across many of the images, but I just couldnât put my finger on directly what it wasâ says Hilling. âAs I continued my review, it finally hit me. More so than in past years, these images show a similar beauty in their geometry, with symmetry, harmony, bold lines or shapes.â Each subject has been captured with an eye towards that visual appeal, such as âthe shape of a bridge or pipe at a certain angle, the energy or force in a workerâs action, the angle of a shot or the direction of shadows, each frozen in an image that is visually stunning,â he adds. The judges assessed more than 1,000 entries to make this yearâs selections.