CB Richard Ellis, the world’s largest commercial property adviser, today launched the 2009 Urban Photographer of the Year Award, which is designed to capture the essence of urban life.

Now in its second year, the competition sets a brief for photographers to explore working life in towns and cities at any time during a 24 hour day. There are 24 sponsored hourly prizes and three Grand Prizes to be won.

Mike Strong, CB Richard Ellis EMEA Chairman said: “We were delighted with the response to the competition last year and even with the current upheaval in the financial markets, we want to continue to promote the business of buildings and encourage people to explore what makes a town or a city tick.”

“Last year the competition was open only to the UK and we received over 1,500 entries. This year we are going broader to cover the whole Europe, Middle East and Africa region so we expect even greater interest.”

The structure of the competition remains the - 24 prizes – one awarded for each hour of the day. On top of this a winner and two runners-up will also be chosen.

“We are delighted with the support we have received from the photographic industry. The generosity of major international players in sponsoring the majority of the prizes is a superb endorsement of the competition and our commitment as a company to the communities that we serve.”

First prize this year is a Photo Safari for two to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan including accommodation and flights. Second Prize is a course with renowned photographers, Yerbury Studios UK, and third is equipment from professional suppliers, Lastolite. The hourly prizes range from photographic equipment and professional materials to photography association memberships and mentoring from the industry's top professionals.
Last year’s competition was the largest of its kind in the UK and was judged by a high profile panel chaired by leading international photography consultant and mentor, Martin Grahame-Dunn FMPA.

This year the judging panel will consist of: Mike Strong, EMEA Chairman, CBRE, Moray MacLennan, Worldwide CEO, M&C Saatchi; Derek Poulston, Sales Director, One Vision Imaging; Charles Garnett, Urban Photographer of the Year 2008; Oliver Jackson, Architectural Photographer, UAE; Stefan Sonntag, Internationally renowned photographer based in Munich.

Last year’s winner, Charles Garnett, a teacher from Glasgow recently returned from his prize-winning trip to Marrakech, where he had spent a week on a photo-safari that ranged from the architecture and business life of the Souks and Riads of Marrakech to the Berber villages of the High Atlas and the Sahara Desert.

Charles won with his unique image of three Glaswegian dinner ladies. Charles said his image captured the spirit of school life: “The dinner ladies work hard and brighten up everyone's school day as they dish up meals with a smile, topped off with a little bit of light humour,” he said.

The Urban Photographer of the Year competition is open to all photographers, professional and amateur, aged 16 years and over.

Entries close on 4th December, 2009. For more details visit www.cbrephotographer.com

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