In May 2025, the AGS proudly launched its fifth Photography Competition, this year expanding the challenge with five categories to enter.

The response from our community was plentiful, with 47 entries submitted all showcasing the breadth and creativity of our industry across our five categories:

• Technology in Geotechnical Engineering
• Environmental and Sustainable Practices
• People in Geosciences
• Geotechnical Landscape
• Safety and Risk Management

Our expert judging panel, Alex Lee (AGS Chair, HKA), Vivien Dent (AGS Past Chair, Environment Agency), Bradley Falcus (Central Alliance), Jonathan Gammon (AGS Past-Chair and Honorary member), and Steve Hodgetts (AECOM), faced the tough task of scoring submissions against originality, composition, technical quality, visual impact, and category relevance.

The overall competition winner and winner of the Technology in Geotechnical Engineering category was presented to Ian Rankin (Card Geotechnics Ltd (CGL)), who won a £100 Amazon voucher.

The category winners were Phill Case (Lankelma) for the Environmental and Sustainable Practices category, Kushal Saha (COWI UK Limited) for the Geotechnical Landscape category, Matthew Owen (John Grimes Partnership Ltd) for the People in Geosciences category and Bronwen Smith (SLR Consulting Ltd) for the Safety and Risk Management category. Phill, Kushal, Matthew and Bronwen all won a £30 Amazon voucher.

The AGS would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who entered. The competition continues to highlight not only the technical excellence within our field, but also the creativity and passion of those working across geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering.

OVERALL WINNING IMAGE AND WINNER OF THE TECHNOLOGY IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING CATEGORY

Ian Rankin, Card Geotechnics Ltd (CGL)

Image Description: A recently installed remotely connected tilt sensor and solar panel gateway equipment installed on a remote Scottish hillside. This equipment is used to transmit the tilt sensor data to our web portal where we monitor over 50 sensors across the hillside as part of an ongoing slope stability assessment.

WINNER OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES CATEGORY

Phill Case, Lankelma

Image description: A hybrid electric tracked crawler (UK23) in the Finish winter working on a Tailings Reservoir as part of GISTM works.

WINNER OF THE GEOTECHNICAL LANDSCAPE CATEGORY

Kushal Saha, COWI UK Limited

Image description: Breathtaking, stunning visuals of a civil engineering masterpiece that reshapes transportation through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Captured inside Blea Moor Tunnel, this photograph showcases dramatic lighting, rugged brickwork, and the captivating geometry of the tunnel’s rail-lined passage.

WINNER OF THE PEOPLE IN GEOSCIENCES CATEGORY

Matthew Owen, John Grimes Partnership Ltd

Image description: Annual rope access inspections and scaling at Sidmouth, Devon. The inspections include the removal of loose rock, debris and vegetation with penetrative roots to mitigate the risk of rockfalls onto the public promenade below, which is closed to the public for during the works.

WINNER OF THE SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT CATEGORY

Bronwen Smith, SLR Consulting Ltd

Image description: The photo shows my set up with my drillers from Geotechnical Engineering Ltd at a petrol station. We have a spill kit under the rig in case of an accident, the waste water from flushing is stored downgradient of the rig, the cage is kept shut, and just out of the picture the forecourt was marked up with safe stand offs from the filling points. The driller in the picture is wearing all the correct PPE whilst writing notes in his drill log before we start works.