The ICOMOS-UK international photography competition celebrates 60 years of ICOMOS, inviting global participants to capture built heritage and living heritage traditions through their lens. This year’s theme, ‘Heritage at Risk: A Global Perspective,’ aimed to raise awareness about vulnerable heritage sites around the world, whether due to environmental threats, conflict, neglect, or socio-political factors.

Launched in 2024, the competition received over 100 entries, showcasing extraordinary talent and dedication to preserving cultural memory through visual storytelling. Entries highlighted the fragility, beauty, and significance of world heritage, from renowned monuments to lesser-known cultural treasures.

The finalists and winners were determined by two expert judges, one focusing on technical aspects and the other on conceptual understanding of the locations and the critical issues impacting heritage at risk. The ICOMOS-UK Development Committee moderated the assessment, scored entries against set criteria, and approved the final winners.

The first, second, and third place winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, held as part of the ICOMOS-UK Summer Event in Cowcross Street, London, on the 3rd of July. For tickets to the event, see the ticketing website here.

The competition is the first in a series of events that acknowledge and celebrate different creative responses to heritage and its place in the contemporary world.

Deniz Beck, Chair of the ICOMOS-UK Development Committee said:

‘As Chair of the Development Committee, I extend my sincere gratitude to all entrants whose remarkable images reflect both quality and sensitivity, highlighting intangible cultural heritage and the pressing realities of risk to our collective heritage climate from vital community perspectives.

Your collective efforts shine a crucial light on the invaluable work of ICOMOS, emphasising our commitment not only to scientific contributions but also to raising awareness and inspiring action to safeguard our shared heritage.

Special thanks are due to our two judges, whose exceptional expertise and thoughtful evaluations of over one hundred diverse entries from around the globe have significantly contributed to the success of this initiative.

In this significant 60th year of ICOMOS-UK, your combined participation profoundly enriches our global commitment to preserving heritage amid our ever-changing and fragile world. Thank you all for your invaluable contributions.’

ICOMOS-UK Photography Competition: Heritage at Risk

Shortlist Announcement

Entries were scored on five criteria: Theme Relevance, Composition, Creativity & Originality, Technical Quality, and Emotional Impact. After scoring, 35 photographs were shortlisted.

Congratulations to the participants whose work has made the shortlist!

Shortlisted Entries:

• Takht-e Soleyman: A guard stands by a barrier around the volcanic crater lake of the Takht-e Soleyman by Karolina Sinéad Johansson
• Tourists rope climbing the Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy, by Lance Macadangdang
• Towers of Silence: A ritual house of the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence site south of Yazd, Iran, by Karolina Sinéad Johansson
• Jameh Mosque: Damaged steps are seen through arches of the Jameh Mosque (Friday Mosque) of Isfahan, central Iran, by Karolina Sinéad Johansson
• With an arched view of the river by Boris Rancev, Group Submission by Milena Metalkova-Markova’s Team
• Bon Accord Baths – Echoes of Elegance and Abandonment in Aberdeen, by Drew Carr
• Endangered Vernacular Architecture of the Western Balkans: In a Bulgarian Orthodox church by Samuel Brooke
• IBM Respond Centre, Havant – Building 7000: The Computer Centre completed by Arup in 1970, by Rebecca Galbraith
• IBM Respond Centre – Human Layers Above Service Tunnels and Plant Rooms, by Rebecca Galbraith
• Morning on the Steps of Abdul Aziz Khan Madrasa, Bukhara, Uzbekistan; Centuries-old stone that has seen scholars, merchants, and pilgrims, by Jennifer Watkins
• Ancient Whispers of Volubilis, Morocco: a silent testimony to civilisations past, by Jennifer Watkins
• View from Suakin Island town across the bay, by Katherine Ashley
• Suakin Caravanaserai gateway (or ‘Shennawi’s Palace’, rumoured to have had 365 rooms) by Katherine Ashley
• The Italian marvel Istituto Marchiondi, Echoes of Structure by Mogens Ulderup
• The Italian marvel Istituto Marchiondi outside Milano, designed by the architect Vittoriano Vigano in 1957, Whispers of Abandonment, by Mogens Ulderup
• Sultaniyeh Dome, Zanjan, Iran, by Ghazaleh Sarencheh
• Janus Sphynx: The Athens of the North; Glorious Stone Work; Stone needs love and care to slow decay, by Hugo Target
• Khanoum Mosque, Zanjan, Iran, by Ghazaleh Sarencheh
• British Antarctic Base, Detaille Emergency Store under conservation repair in the sun, by Lesley Johnston
• British Antarctic Base, Detaille Main Hut with hoar frost, with snow embankment, by Lesley Johnston
• British Antarctic Base, Detaille Pup Pen in hoar frost with looming Icebergs, by Lesley Johnston
• Ksar Bounou, a partially inhabited earthen village in M’Hamid Oasis, buried under the encroaching Sahara Desert sand dunes, by Giamila Quattrone
• Meeting of the Styles: Heart of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site, by Hugo Target
• Once upon a time by Aleksander Mladenov
• Abuna Aregawi Church, Debra Damo Monastery, 6th. The monastery is located in the Tigray highlands, currently a zone of conflict, by Doug Evans
• Mikael Imba rock-hewn church, c.8thC AD. Near Atsbi, in Tigray Province, by Doug Evans
• Balconies and hanging clothes function as thresholds to residential interiors, displaying a glance at the common lifestyle, by Andreas Pieras
• Volcanic Pavement and Parked Motorcycles, Navigating Naples’ Timeless Alleyways, by Andreas Pieras
• Tōkōen Hotel, Yonago: A Waning Heritage, by Thomas Kyhn
• Tōkōen Hotel, Yonago, A Fading Legacy of Kikutake’s 1964 Design, by Thomas Kyhn
• Tree limbs break through the open joints of the stone architrave of “Structure no.8”, in the abandoned Sri Kashi Visvesvara Temple Complex, Chikka Gosaighat, by Giamila Quattrone
• “Structure no.10”, in the abandoned Sri Kashi Visvesvara Temple Complex, Chikka Gosaighat, by Giamila Quattrone
• Taunay Waterfall in Tijuca Forest – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by Caroline Rocha Bastos
• Dust clings to the memory of warmth in a room where absence is framed and hung beside decay by Boris Rancev
• The Timeless Elegance of Khajuraho Western Group of Temples, a symphony of intricate carvings and architectural precision, by Elizabeth Wilson 

To view all of the shortlisted entries, see the video here.

To book tickets to the ICOMOS-UK Summer event, which celebrates the photography competition, see the event ticketing site here.

Meet the Judges

Paul Gonella is a published and exhibited photographer, filmmaker, and educator based in Southsea, Portsmouth. With over 14 years of professional experience, he has worked globally, capturing compelling visuals and sharing his passion for photography and film. Gonella has collaborated with commercial brands, charities, and communities and taught thousands across age groups and backgrounds. He also deeply loves 35mm film photography and coastal scenes.

Prof. Dr. Zeynep Gül Ünal is a leading expert in cultural heritage conservation and disaster risk management. She is a professor at Yıldız Technical University and President of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICORP). Her global work focuses on safeguarding heritage in disaster- and conflict-affected areas. She leads the ICORP On The Road Project, documenting community recovery efforts and producing powerful films and exhibitions. Ünal is also a member of the GEA Urban Search and Rescue Group, contributing her unique blend of emergency response and heritage conservation expertise to humanitarian missions.

Image: Bon Accord Baths – Echoes of Elegance and Abandonment in Aberdeen, by Drew Carr