Circle Square x Helene Binet Photography Competition – winners announced!

A huge thank you to everyone who entered this year’s Photography Competition.

In November, we launched the Circle Square photography competition, which was judged by the award-winning and world renowned architectual photographer, Hélène Binet.

Inspired by Hélène, the theme was “Architecture and Emotions”, which invited entrants to see beyond the structure of a building and express what it feels and means to them. We asked for a series of three images, to convey a narrative.

Hélène explained, “To me, photographing architecture is more than documentation — but a creative and emotional encounter with space, light, material, and the thoughts that belong to a place.”

It’s been an honour to work with Hélène, a truly transformative and defining photographer in her field of architecture with many accomplishments to her name. Most recently, last year she was the recipient of the Lucie Award for Achievement in Architecture, which honours photographers who have made significant, career-long contributions to capturing, interpreting, and showcasing architectural design.

Thank you to all the entrants for taking part. We’re delighted to announce the winner and runners-up below, who each win a signed book by Hélène Binet, and the opportunity to meet her at her studio.

The Winner

“The Garage” by Michael Falter

At first glance, these three images appear to show no more than an uninspiring garage whose structure could hardly be simpler. Yet behind the façade exists a space that has, for over 40 years, Michael has spent hours listening to music, creating, planning and dreaming of grand projects. A plain old garage, but architecturally it stands firmly in the tradition of arkhitéktōn: the act of building, making and craft.

Helene praised Michael’s strong understanding of how to tell a story through photography. She said,

“Every photographic choice feels intentional and meaningful — from shooting at night, to limiting how much of the building is shown, to focusing on the bush in the centre of the frame. Michael really conveys his relationship with the place and how close it is to his heart. It really moved me.”

The Runner Ups

“Order , Structure , Movement” by Anthony Hellman

This series approaches Tate Britain not as documentation but explores how architecture shapes emotional experience through sequence and movement. Moving from the formal symmetry, establishing calm and clarity to the classical structure, providing rhythm and reassurance to circulation spaces, introducing a sense of flow. Through light, geometry and proportion, the images reveal how emotion in architecture emerges not from decoration, but from the way space is organised, perceived and inhabited.

Helene praised Anthony’s choice to use black and white as very effective, enhancing the details and textures within the images. The selection of shots was thoughtful and engaging, especially the decision to focus on the stairs — an unexpected perspective that makes a strong visual statement. She also praised the photo of the floor, “Directing attention downward highlights the importance of flooring as part of the architectural experience.”

“Brutal abundance: above Les Halles” by Nick Viner

Nick chose as his subject a humble car park in Toulouse. Importantly, it rests on top of the wonderful Marché Victor Hugo, home to the best collection of boucheries, traiteurs, fromageries and poissoneries in southwest France – a veritable cornucopia of produce. The massive, brutalist, car park sits in stark relief to the market’s colour and abundance. Built when cars were much smaller and featured running boards and outsized mudguards, it still functions as it should and it still feels fresh, contemporary and inspiring today.

Helene chose this series as a runner-up and described it as a “daring composition and wonderful to play with abstract geometry shapes.”