Dattner Architects’ annual photo contest celebrates our civic architecture foundation.
We share a pride in seeing our work built, and in witnessing our projects thrive in the years that follow. Our designs for transit, schools, libraries, housing, municipal infrastructure, healthcare, parks, and community centers have enriched the urban fabric with distinctive, innovative, and inspiring buildings, positively impacting countless New Yorkers. We are fond of noting that rarely does one go a day in New York City without seeing a Dattner project. Our annual photo contest is a celebration of that legacy and our ongoing work. Everyone in the office is encouraged to submit a photograph. Some capture projects they worked on, others photograph legacy projects in their neighborhoods, and some revisit the projects through which they first came to know the firm. We started the contest a number of years ago, and although it went on pause during the pandemic, like so much else, we happily brought it back in 2023.
This year, we received 46 entries, our largest collection of perspectives on the city and our work yet. The exhibit is hung in the Forum, the multi-function center of our office, where we gather to celebrate the photographs and the people behind them. Each year, we invite a friend of the firm to serve as juror, with past jurors including Alexandra Lange, Pavel Bendov, Tizziana Baldenebro, John Hill, and Kristin Labuz.
For 2026, we were delighted to welcome Daniel Roche, News Editor at The Architect’s Newspaper, as our juror. At the Exhibit Opening, we celebrated not only the winners, but all the submissions and the collective view they offer onto the lasting impact of our work.
