Our prestigious jury of professional photographers will select the shortlisted and winning images for each category. From the category winners they will then select the Environmental Photographer of the Year 2023.
Underwater photographer and marine biologist.
Dr Alex Mustard has a Ph.D in marine ecology, but since 2004 his career has been photography. He has been winning international awards since his teens, and his work is particularly well known from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest where it has featured in 15 different portfolio books of winning photographs over the last 20 years.
In 2013, he was named overall winner of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year and is still the only underwater winner of that title. Alex is especially known for sharing his knowledge - his best-selling book Underwater Photography Masterclass (2016) was reprinted just two weeks after being released.
In 2018, he received national recognition, receiving the title of MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II for ‘services to underwater photography’.
National Geographic contributor photographer focused on natural history and wildlife conservation.
Javier Aznar is a Spanish professional photographer who is focused on natural history and wildlife conservation, and its relationship with humans.
With a biology career as a background, his photographs aim to offer a personal point of view of nature at its wildest and most fascinating state. Javier believes the power of photography can be used to help conserve the planet and the animals and plants that live in it. By means of his pictures, he hopes to draw the public’s attention to the pressing need to protect wildlife.
Javier is an Associate Fellow at the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) and member of The Photo Society. He is also a National Geographic contributor photographer and his work has been published in international magazines such as Ranger Rick, BBC Wildlife, Smithsonian Magazine and Geolinoamong others.
His photographs have received multiple international awards, including the Portfolio winner in Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018.
He is currently based in Spain, although he spends much time out of the country working on his stories.
www.javieraznarphotography.com
@javier_aznar_photography
Wildlife photographer specializing in conservation issues.
Dutch photographer Jasper Doest creates visual stories that explore the relationship between humankind and nature and is a contributing photographer to National Geographic magazine. Having majored in ecology, Jasper knows human life depends on everything our planet has to offer, yet he recognizes the unsustainable nature of the current human patterns of consumption. As a true believer in the power of photography to initiate change, Jasper is an International League of Conservation Photographers senior fellow and a World Wildlife Fund ambassador. His accolades include four World Press Photo Awards and in 2020 he was named European Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
National Geographic contributor photographer, photographer for the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, focusing on documenting climate research in the polar regions.
Esther Horvath is a Nikon Ambassador, fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a member of The Explorers Club.
Since 2015, she has dedicated herself to photography in the polar regions, in the Arctic and Antarctic where she has been photographing seventeen scientific expeditions, and behind the scenes stories of climate science.
In 2020, among others, she was awarded first prize in the World Press Photo Award in the Environment single category. In 2022, she received the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in New York for her work raising awareness of conservation, environmental justice, and climate change.
Her photography about the largest Arctic Ocean expedition of our history, called MOSAiC, was published by Prestel Publishing under the title Expedition Arktis (German edition) and Into the Arctic Ice (English edition).
Esther publishes her work in National Geographic, The New York Times, GEO, Stern, TIME, and Audubon Magazine, among others.
www.estherhorvath.com
@estherhorvath
Photojournalist specialising in crimes against nature.
Known for her unique style of photojournalism, Britta Jaschinski has won numerous international awards. She works with governments, authorities, environmental organisations, charities and NGOs.
When not on assignment, she will be a jury member in international photo competitions or a speaker at one of Europe’s photo or nature festivals, talking about conservation through photography. Her investigative images and multimedia shows about the wildlife trade are hard-hitting yet always inspiring.
Jaschinski’s work is published by Geo, National Geographic, Stern, Spiegel, The Guardian, WWF Media, Süddeutsche Zeitung and numerous other magazines, newspapers, and books. Her highly collectible photos are exhibited worldwide.
She is the co-creator of Photographers Against Wildlife Crime, an international group of photographers who have joined forces to use their iconic images to help bring an end to the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetime.
She is a Leica Camera ambassador.
www.brittaphotography.com
Assistant Managing Editor at National Geographic magazine.
Alexa Keefe is the senior photo editor for wildlife at National Geographic magazine, shaping the visual narrative for cross-platform stories related to conservation, natural history, and the intersection between humans and animals.
She first joined National Geographic in 2011 as a photography producer and then became one of the founding editors of Proof, National Geographic’s award-winning digital series highlighting the experiences of visual storytellers from around the world.
She is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and has served on the jury panel for College Photographer of the Year, the Social Documentary Network’s ZEKE award, and the Daylight Photo Awards; and was a featured speaker and workshop leader at the Indian Photo Festival.
Keefe’s photo editing work has been recognized by the National Press Photographers Association, Pictures of the Year International, and the Society of Publication Designers.
Wildlife Photojournalist at National Geographic magazine.
Steve has been a wildlife photojournalist for National Geographic magazine for over two decades, producing stories on some of the world’s most elusive and iconic animals—and specializing in big cats. His documentary films on jaguars, leopards, tigers, and tree-climbing lions have aired on Nat Geo WILD and Disney+. He is a Nat Geo Explorer and his work has been recognized with numerous international awards: he’s been named BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year; received top nature story honors from World Press Photo in 2008, 2014 and 2020; and he is two-time winner of Picture of the Year International’s Global Vision Award; and received awards from EXPOSURE 2019 and HIPA (2017). Steve has appeared on 60 Minutes, CBS Nightly News, NPR, BBC, CNN and other outlets and he speaks globally on big cats and conservation for Nat Geo LIVE. His work has impact. His iconic image of the cougar P-22 under the Hollywood sign helped create what will be the world’s largest wildlife overpass; his story on the Thai Tiger Temple proved wildlife trafficking and prompted officials to shut it down; his work on jaguars in Brazil has helped them rebound; and his story on captive tigers in the U.S. helped pass a new law, the Big Cat Public Safety Act. In the field, he spends months working in steamy jungles and grasslands—or camping at 15,000 feet in the winter in the Himalayas. The reason: he wants to capture images of these animals’ stunning beauty and secret behaviors. But as a wildlife photojournalist and filmmaker, he says, “I also need to document threats that face these animals, many of which are endangered, as well as the scientists who study them and the conservationists who are working to save them. For me, my contribution is through storytelling: photos, magazine articles and documentary films. I hope my work inspires you to act to help protect big cats and the planet.”
Conservation and wildlife photographer, National Geographic photographer for National Geographic Expeditions.
Award winning wildlife and conservation photographer Sergio Pitamitz has French and Italian dual citizenship. He is a National Geographic photographer for National Geographic Expeditions and Nat Geo Image Collection and Fellow of iLCP - International League of Conservation Photographers. On assignment he has traveled to more than 100 countries on all seven continents.
He is a contributor to National Geographic Magazine Italy and his images and stories have appeared in numerous other publications including BBC Wildlife, Terre Sauvage, Paris Match, The New York Times, Figaro Magazine and National Geographic’s magazines, books and websites.
His images have been awarded in international photo contests such as Nature’s Best, National Wildlife and Audubon. He won the NPPA - National Press Photography Association - “Best of Photojournalism 2016 - Environmental Category”.
He is a Swarovski Optik Outdoor brand ambassador.
www.pitamitz.com
@sergiopitamitz