Photographers Win CIOB Art of Building Awards
Azim Khan Ronnie and Damien Walmsley take the top honours in the annual international photography contest for buildings and the built environment.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Photography
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Bangladeshi photographer Azim Khan Ronnie has won the CIOB Art of Building Public Choice Award for a second time, while Birmingham-based Damien Walmsley was picked by judges as the second winner. Each winner receives a £1,500 cash prize.
Why it matters
The contest draws more than 1,500 entrants and highlights how photography documents buildings, places and people in the built environment. Ronnie's repeat win makes him only the second photographer in the competition's history to achieve it.
Each of the two winners receives a cash prize of £1,500 from the competition, which drew more than 1,500 entrants. The Public Choice Award was decided by public vote, while the second winner was selected by judges.
The players
Azim Khan Ronnie
A photographer from Bangladesh who has now won the CIOB Art of Building Public Choice Award twice, making him only the second photographer in the contest's history to do so.
Damien Walmsley
A Birmingham-based photographer whose image of a hidden ballroom in the Library of Birmingham's Secret Garden was selected by judges as a winner.
CIOB
The Chartered Institute of Building, the professional body that organises the annual Art of Building photography competition.
The details
Ronnie's winning photograph, Living on the Edge, shows a family home surrounded by floodwater in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh. Walmsley's image captures a hidden ballroom within the Secret Garden at the Library of Birmingham.
Timeline
2023: Azim Khan Ronnie wins the Public Choice Award for the first time.
2026: Azim Khan Ronnie wins the Public Choice Award a second time, with Damien Walmsley named as the second winner.
Season Trajectory
Ronnie's second Public Choice Award places him among only two photographers to win the CIOB Art of Building contest twice in its history. The result adds to the competition's record of showcasing built-environment photography from around the world.
Photographers and enthusiasts can view the finalists' images on the Art of Building competition site. The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers who submit images of buildings, places and people.
The takeaway
Built-environment photography captures how people live alongside buildings, floods and public spaces. Aspiring photographers can study past winning images to understand what judges and voters respond to.
Further reading
For more on how photographers capture the built environment, explore the Photography section.
More information
View the finalists' images on the Art of Building competition site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Construction Management.
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