arcam

Close-cut lawns with ‘Keep off the grass’ signs – that’s the ‘nature’ we usually find in our cities. But can we find beauty in weeds and the less planned greenery too? A tree shooting up where it wasn’t supposed to, or wildflowers blooming in a road verge.

We buy and throw out more than ever before – from our homes and in the building industry, where we tear down buildings and replace them with new ones. But if we want more bees in our back yards and less construction waste on the curb, shouldn’t we get used to seeing the world around us with new eyes too?

• If instead of newly painted white walls, we need to learn to live with patina and traces of the past – where can you find these in your city?
• If our cities need more weeds and wild nature – how does the countryside, the forest or the beach coexist with the asphalt in your city? And maybe we humans are not the only creatures living in cities?
• If we ought to share more things in the future – can you find new communities and ways of living in your city?

The competition was originally organized by Danish Architecture Center (DAC), based in Copenhagen, Denmark. For the first time this year Capture Your City is open to everyone in Europe – and especially to the collaborating cities of Riga, Amsterdam, Milan, Turin, and Ljubljana. Can we find new beauty in the old Soviet buildings of Riga? Are there signs of wild nature in Ljubljana? Are there new ways of dealing with water in Amsterdam? Or foxes living in Turin or Milan?

When judging your photo, the panel will concentrate on:

– A clear depiction of this year’s theme

– Interaction between the physical framework and people

– An exciting composition

Post your best picture on Instagram, and hashtag #CaptureYourCity2024 and mention @danisharchitecturecenter 🙌 To participate via Instagram, your profile cannot be private.

You can also upload your photo here: https://airtable.com/appgkSyGluqU4TZ2Z/shrPE02iHZnc7440C

Pictures posted after May 1 2024 will not be included in the competition.

The competition team encourages everyone, regardless of where they live or who they are, to participate in the competition and looks forward to seeing all the interpretations of the theme ‘New Beauty.’

A jury will select the three winners and the photos that will be part of the exhibition. The exhibition will be shown digitally and physically in various locations across Europe. We will publish all dates when announced.

Denmark: from June 6 to October 1, 2024, at Bryghuspladsen in front of Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen, Denmark.

There are exciting prizes for the winners of the photo competition. But even if you don’t win, there’s an opportunity to have your photo included in the exhibition.

1st Prize

• Interrail ticket with 10 travel days over 2 months
• Annual pass to the Danish Architecture Center or a local partner in Milan, Riga, Turin, Amsterdam, or Ljubljana
• Print of your photo

2nd and 3rd Prize

• Tagtomat gift box with Bybi honey from Copenhagen and a mushroom box Seed box with microgreens from Tagtomat
• Sparkling apple wine from Andersen
• Wine made from Discovery apples
• Print of your winning photo

The winners of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes will be notified in early May 2024. The winners will be announced and celebrated at the exhibition opening on June 6, 2024 in Copenhagen.

• Julie Quottrup Silbermann, Director CHART (Denmark)
• Natascha Lhea Narvaez Nielsen, Winner of Capture Your City 2023
• Maja Dyrehauge Gregersen, Director Copenhagen Photo Festival (Denmark)
• Kika Krista Kjærside, Head of Program Sector, Danish Architecture Center (Denmark)
• Femke Gerritsma, Communication Manager, Arcam (Netherlands)
• Hana Čeferin, Curator, MAO (Slovenia)
• Federica Tognon, Curator, Unità Progetti Speciali e Fabbrica del Vapore, Comune di Milano (Italy)
• Arnita Verza, Landscape Architect, Riga Municipality (Latvia)
• Monica Poggi, Photography historian, CAMERA (Italy)

This year Capture Your City is a part of the New European Bauhaus project Desire – an Irresistible Circular Society. Desire experiments with creating sustainable, attractive, and inclusive urban spaces which respect the limited resources of the planet. The project is funded by the European Union.

The photo competition is supported by the philanthropic association Realdania and developed in collaboration with the New European Bauhaus project Desire – an Irresistible Circular Society. Desire is funded by the EU.