DPU Photography competition
The DPU Photography competition provides students with the chance to share their field trip experiences with a wider community, and to communicate their reflections.
For a number of years we have been running the DPU Photography Competition for students. The photographs are meant to encapsulate through imagery some of the key DPU themes, and provide students with the chance to share their field trip experiences with a wider community, and to communicate their reflections.
Past winners
2025 - Serra Utkum Ikiz, Building and Urban Design in Development MSc
São Paulo, Brazil. ‘Layered realities of contemporary urban life’.
This photo was taken on the streets of São Paulo, where walls are covered with posters and graffiti that tell stories of the city’s people, struggles, and dreams. It captures a quiet moment, a man standing in front of a large poster, his pose unintentionally mirroring the figure above him. It may seem like a coincidence, but it also reflects the connection between people and the street art around them. In São Paulo, public space becomes a canvas for expression and a sense of belonging, where everyday life and art come together.
2024 - Wei Wu, Health in Urban Development MSc
Marrakech, Morocco
In the temporary camp after the earthquake, two little boys are playing soccer and chasing a cat.
Explore the DPU70 Photography competition
2019 - Sebastian Paredes Smith, Development Administration & Planning MSc
Kampala, Uganda
Wakiso Destiny Road
View all 2019 entries on Flickr
2018 - Jorge Roman, Environment & Sustainable Development MSc
Freetown, Sierra Leone
A typical morning at one of Portee Rokupa´s water points, where people come to fetch water in their jerrycans and buckets.
View all 2018 entries on Flickr
2017 - Diego Puente, Urban Development Planning MSc
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Informality left behind: overlooking the contribution of informal circuits in solid waste management.
View all 2017 entries on Flickr
2016 - Yasmine Mostafa, Urban Development Planning MSc
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Sunna settlement in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, A photo showing the interior of a flooded house in Sunna settlement, the residents evacuated their house following an eviction order by the state and took the doors and windows as they were considered valuable assets.
View all 2016 entries on Flickr
Inaugural competition - David Hoffmann, Urban Economic Development MSc
Tigray, Ethiopia
“I was lucky to witness some inspired dance-scenes during a wedding ceremony inside a restaurant. Meet the bride and one of the guests!”