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The sound of chatter and excitement chimed through the Raintree rooftop event space, as people gathered with anticipation to see the winners of the Archi-walk Photography Challenge.

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The Architecture Photography Challenge, hosted by Urbanland Asia, HKA & Partners and Raintree, in collaboration with Khmer Architecture Tours, was designed to foster creativity and ignite passion towards our local and often underappreciated architecture and design. Out of 800 photo submissions, 10 photographs were selected for awards and honorable mentions during the celebratory evening.

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Hok Kang, architect and founder of Urbanland Asia and HKA & Partners, shared some advice on how to experience the depth of our Khmer architecture. “I feel the space with all five senses and take the time to absorb the glorious three-dimensional form. Only then can you really say that you've seen it,” said Mr. Kang. Inspiration is sometimes hidden in plain sight. “You don’t always have to look for it in something that’s thousands of miles away. We have so much on our doorstep in Cambodia,” said Mr. Kang.

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Those taking part in the Challenge were invited to attend creative learning sessions including an architecture walk in Phnom Penh through the masterpieces of Vann Molyvann and the French Colonial era. They were also encouraged to explore different angles to capture the architectural wonders that otherwise may have gone unnoticed.

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During the final reveal, honorable guests were even asked to guess the photographer of each of the top 10 photos! This small touch helped to add more excitement on top of the awe-inspiring winning photos.

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Take a look at some of the shortlisted top 25 photos below and see if you can guess their winning features.

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Follow ISI GROUP and Raintree Cambodia on social media for more information on the public exhibition of the winning architectural photos, opening in early September, 2019.