Created by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Environmental Photography Award has been honoring photographers committed to the protection of life since 2021. This fifth edition showcases 36 selected images and seven award winners.
A tapir rescued from a fire, a colorful jellyfish rising through an abyssal landscape of icebergs, an old tigress resting her head against the wall of her enclosure… For its fifth edition, the Environmental Photography Award highlights seven winning photographs among a selection of 36 images divided into five categories: “Polar Wonders,” “Into the Forest,” “Ocean Worlds,” “Humanity versus Nature,” and “Agents of Change, Bearers of Hope.”
The main prize, the 2025 Environmental Photographer of the Year Award, was presented to Angel Fitor for his photograph Unseen Unsung Heroes, which also won in the “Ocean Worlds” category. The image depicts marine worms expelling sand from their burrows on the seabed.
“This photograph describes the silent action of humble creatures who nonetheless exert a crucial influence on the entire Mediterranean marine ecosystem, upon which we, in turn, depend,” explains Angel Fitor, a marine biologist and award-winning photographer (World Press Photo, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, American Photography, Sony World Photography).
An expert jury for a committed photography prize
Created in 2021 by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the award recognizes photographers whose work raises awareness about environmental conservation issues. The selection is made by a jury of specialists in photography and the relationship between humans and nature.
This year, the jury was chaired by Ami Vitale, a National Geographic photographer and documentary filmmaker, and included Aaron Gekoski (human-wildlife conflict specialist), Tom Gilks (Content Manager at Nature Picture Library), Ralph Pace (underwater photojournalist), Audun Rikardsen (photographer, biologist, and Arctic expert), and Jaime Rojo (environmental photographer).
“Photography is a fundamental tool for highlighting the intimate connection between individual well-being and environmental health. […] Through this visual medium, we reestablish the link between humans and nature, emphasizing the dangers—but also the promise and hope that are ever-present. I hope these images and the stories they tell will inspire more of us to move from observation to the active defense of our planet,” reminds Ami Vitale.
An exhibition in Monaco, a world tour, and a book
The public and high school students also had the chance to vote for their favorite images.
After the Flames, Hope by Fernando Faciole, showing a tapir with bandaged legs rescued from a fire in Brazil’s Pantanal region, won the People’s Choice Award. Meanwhile, Forest Guard by Bambang Wirawan, capturing a Sumatran tiger through the carcass of another animal, was awarded the High School Student Award.
The 36 finalist photographs will be exhibited in Monaco on the Larvotto Promenade from June 3 to July 31, 2025, before embarking on an international tour.
A book compiling the images will also be published by Skira Paris.
Benjamin Rullier
