“Serving as a judge for ENR’s photo contest was a blast,” says Grundfast. “What surprised me most was how powerfully the winning photos used a single image to tell a compelling story about the projects. Staying focused on the craft and intent is what truly made them stand out.”

Minutillo says “the human aspect of these photos was for me the most striking. Even among heavy machinery, massive infrastructure and dangerous construction sites, what stands out always is the people.”

Heinlein was most impressed by “the variety of submissions and all the amazing things that construction companies from around the world are doing to improve people’s lives.” He also served another important role: “keeping a keen eye on the safety and health exposures to ensure that employees were properly protected.”

Rubin, who has judged photo contests before for ENR, points to the scope of global projects captured” and the “amount of detail many photographers know and share about them.” She adds that advances in portable photographic tech bolster confidence among pros and amateurs alike and “stretch their risk-taking to produce never-before-seen views of project action, or a striking close-up of someone on site who labors every day, unseen or unheralded, to make them happen.”