Early in 2025, a call for submissions caught my eye in the Bürgerstiftung Neukölln newsletter. As a local community organization, they were seeking photographs that captured the past, present, and future of Neukölln.
Having called this bustling district home since moving to Berlin in 2012, I’ve produced countless images of the area, even curating a Flickr album dedicated to my favorites. What initially appeared to be a simple request for calendar images quickly became something far more significant.
With my elementary German skills, I understood they were compiling a calendar. And given my extensive collection of Neukölln photos, selecting three images—one each representing the past, present, and future—was a straightforward task that I completed without many issues.
A few weeks after submitting my photographs, I received an exciting e-mail: two of my pictures had been selected for the “Neukölln früher – heute – morgen” exhibition at the Helene-Nathan-Bibliothek, near Rathaus Neukölln. My surprise and happiness were huge, and the fact that the opening day of the exhibition happened to be my birthday made it feel like a truly special gift.
What I hadn’t realized when submitting my work was that this was also a photography competition. You can imagine how shocked I was to learn at the opening that my drone photo of Blub, a long-gone water park in Neukölln, had won first place. It was an incredibly memorable experience.
As the award ceremony began, I found myself mentally rehearsing a thank-you speech. However, I was so shocked that I couldn’t say a word in German. My mind went blank, forcing me to improvise in English. According to friends who were there, it went well, though I find that hard to believe!
I’m thrilled to share that two of my photographs will be featured in the Bürgerstiftung Neukölln 2026 calendar. I’ll provide updates on its printing and availability as soon as I have more information.
See My Work and Explore Neukölln
If you appreciate my photography work and a calendar isn’t quite what you’re looking for, you can download high-resolution versions of my images directly from my Flickr account (first place and calendar picture).
I’d love to see how you display them, so feel free to send me a picture of your wall!
For those who’ve seen me around Berlin, you know I’m rarely without a camera (or several!). Now, you have the opportunity to see my work showcased in an exhibition.
If you find yourself with some spare time and an interest in local photography, you can find all the exhibition details by clicking the link below:
- Exhibition information on the Helene-Nathan-Bibliothek site
- Exhibition Opening Announcement
- Review of the Vernissage by Bürgerstiftung Neukölln
Furthermore, the two pictures of the the award ceremony were taken by Sabine.
