The Penn Institute for Urban Research, in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House, is pleased to announce the winner of its photo contest on the theme of urbanization and migration.

This year’s winner is Ashley Napier, a global initiatives fellow at the Perry World House. Her photo, entitled “Swayambhunath Monkey,” is an image taken in Katmandu, Nepal, that alludes to the precarious balance between urbanization and preservation of place.  

The runners-up in this year’s competition are Madelieine Goldberg for “Juxtaposition,” which depicts the stark contrast between Mumbai’s slums and its soaring skyscrapers, and Jibreel K. Riley for “Ghost Corridors,” a haunting image of urban flight in Buffalo, N.Y.

Three additional submissions received honorable mentions: “Mr. H” by Francisco Garcia; “Light at the End of the Tunnel” by Hari Krishnan; and “Gated Center City” by Jared Kofsky.

The winner and runners-up were announced at the "Global Shifts: Urbanization, Migration, and Demography" symposium, held April 21 at the Perry World House. The contest was judged by the symposium’s panel of experts, including Perry World House Visiting Fellows, who looked for compelling images that emphasize the relationships between urbanization, migration, and marginalization.

View all the winning photos on the Penn IUR website.

About Penn IUR

The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) is dedicated to advancing cross-disciplinary urban-focused research, instruction, and civic engagement on issues relevant to cities around the world. As the global population becomes increasingly urban, understanding cities is vital to informed decision-making and public policy at the local, national, and international levels. Penn IUR focuses on research that informs the sustainable and inclusive 21st-century city. By providing a forum for collaborative scholarship and instruction at Penn and beyond, Penn IUR stimulates research and engages with urban practitioners and policymakers to inform urban policy.