The Habitat for Humanity GB Photographer Of The Year Competition 2018 has seen entries from a diverse collection of Builds.

The theme of the 2018 competition was ‘Team Spirit’, and the competition was extremely tough with incredible entries coming from volunteers that have been to Nepal, India, Brazil, Cambodia, Kenya, Guatemala and so many other Build locations around the world.

The judges loved seeing all of your interpretations of the phrase ‘ Team Spirit’ and what it means to each of you. So, without further introduction take a look below to see the winners of our 2018 photography competition.

1st Place Photographer – Adam Lee, India 2018

“This was at the end of the build on the last day. The eldest lady of the tribe, known to us as ‘grandmother’ had walked the short journey from her home to see final performance from our team and the tribe. After we had finished the dance, the grandmother began returning home. Two of our team members saw her heading back and helped her on her way. This summarised the build for me.”

2nd Place Photographer – Lionel Rivière, Brazil 2016

“Heliopolis favela, Sao Paulo suburbs. The volunteers from Metlife did a massive job to paint afresh 4 houses for the inhabitants in the most precarious of situations, giving the final touch to Habitat intervention. The volunteers had loads of fun and worked hard. They celebrated this by throwing all of their helmets in the air. Hilarious moment!

A highlight of the Build for me was the warm welcome of the favela community who offered us to come into their home, have a “cafezinho” (a small coffee), and a bit of a chat with them for 30 minutes.

Thinking about my next Build, I was appalled by the earthquake in Nepal and its dire consequences on the housing of many families. A friend who was working there shared many photos and stories of families and they had lost everything. The reconstruction was going very slowly because they are living in very remote areas. Due to this I would like to help by participating in a future build to Nepal.”

3rd Place Pohotographer – Natasha Paras, Brazil 2018

“A group of strangers came together and moved forwards towards a common goal. Mututal trust and unforgettable friendships were created during the Build.

Despite not being very well on the first day of the Build I managed to recover quickly and helped the team for the rest of the Build. Being given the opportunity to spend the week getting to know the people that we were doing the build for is a priceless memory.  I haven’t decided on where the next Build will be, but I am hopeful that I will join another one soon.”

Thank You For Entering