After taking a moment to observe the occasionally mirthful majesty of nature, now it’s high time we turned our attention towards the urban settings of the world, with a selection of the finalists in this year’s Urban Photographer of the Year awards.

Organised by the commercial letting giant CBRE, the competition gathered more than 21,000 images across 113 countries, all under the theme of ‘Cities at Work’. This, the ninth edition of the Urban Photographer of the Year, brings together some truly stunning and eye-opening photographs, allowing participants to capture the contrasts and excitement of urban life, as well as to document the disparity in wealth and poverty around the world.

Check out some of the finalists below: