Penn IUR Announces Winner of 8th Annual Photography Contest

Penn IUR is pleased to announce the winner of its 8th Annual Photography Contest: "Wetland for All” by Amitava Chandra. The theme of the 2023 contest, "Urban Nature," brought attention to the connection and coexistence of cities and nature around the world. The contest attracted 125 submissions from photographers from around the world, from Philadelphia to the Phillippines, and cities in more than a dozen countries. The photo contest jury consisted of four Penn affiliated staff and faculty: Thabo Lenneiye, Managing Director, PennPraxis; Kathleen Morrison, Sally and Alvin V. Shoemaker Professor of Anthropology, School of Arts & Sciences; Joshua Mosley, Professor of Fine Arts, Weitzman School of Design; and Frederick Steiner, Dean, Weitzman School of Design. In addition to the winner, the jury selected two additional photographs as honorable mentions: “Rooftop Garden” and “Food-Secure City,” both by Sudip Maiti.

Winner: Wetland for All

As an important part of the global ecological environment, urbanized wetlands provide rich environmental and ecological resources for human production and life, and have relatively high ecological value; for example, they produce oxygen, prevent drought & soil erosion, control runoff, store flood water, degrade urban pollution, regulate and control urban climate, and so on. Because of their filter-like function, wetlands are also known as the “kidneys of the earth.

— Amitava Chandra

Honorable Mention: Rooftop Garden

A man works on his rooftop garden in Kolkata, India. As a result of climate change, drought will have a significant negative impact on the food production of the world. On the other hand, as a result of rapid urbanization, the space for agriculture is also declining. To combat the issue, we can use our roofs as a secondary source of sustainable food production.

— Sudip Maiti

Honorable Mention: Food-Secure City

A farmer checks on cauliflower plants beside the high rises of the city of Kolkata. With the help of urban agriculture, we can prevent significant carbon dioxide emissions by using local produce.

— Sudip Maiti