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 2025.
National Geographic photographer and documentary filmmaker
Nikon Ambassador and National Geographic photographer and documentary filmmaker, Ami Vitale, has lived in mud huts and war zones and donned a panda suit—all in keeping with her philosophy of “living the story.” She has traveled to more than 100 countries, bearing witness not only to violence and conflict, but also to surreal beauty and to the enduring power of the human spirit. She has turned her lens to compelling wildlife stories, such as returning critically endangered, captive-born species like the giant pandas back to the wild, and efforts to save the last living northern white rhinos from extinction.
Ami's contributions have earned her numerous recognitions, including being called one of the most influential conservation photographers of her generation and being named a Conservation International Innovators Fellow. Recognized as a 2024 inductee into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame, Ami's accolades include prestigious honors like the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service and the esteemed Lucie Humanitarian Award. In a testament to her impact, Instyle magazine lauded her among fifty Badass Women, a series celebrating women who exemplify courage and action, sharing the spotlight with luminaries like Jane Goodall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She has also been named Magazine photographer of the year in the International Photographer of the Year prize, received the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting and is a six-time recipient of World Press Photos.
Beyond her photography, Ami is the founder and Executive Director of Vital Impacts, a non-profit organization harnessing the power of art to inspire and mobilize youth as agents of change. A sought-after speaker worldwide, she continues to share her experiences and insights, and audiences can anticipate her upcoming feature on the National Geographic Channel Explorer TV series in 2025.
Naturalist and conservation photographer specializing in small vertebrates and arthropods (Italy)
Emanuele is an Italian naturalist from Genova, a photographer and a Ph.D in Environmental Sciences.
He’s Associate Fellow of the iLCP - International League of Conservation Photographers.
He’s mainly focused on the smaller creatures and conservation of nature. His main topics are Amphibians and Reptiles, Spiders and other Arthropods and life into extreme environments.
He’s the author and curator of books and scientific exhibitions with whom he tries to bring nature’s beauty and conservation issues to people.
Winner and finalist of various international photography prizes and speaker of international photography symposiums and festivals.
Since 11 years hems also TV presenter of the environmental and cultural show called GEO, on Rai3 channel in Italy.
Photojournalist and filmmaker, specialising in human-animal conflict
Aaron Gekoski is an internationally-acclaimed photojournalist and film-maker, specialising in human-animal conflict. For more than 15 years he has travelled the globe to report on our complex relationship with wildlife.
Covering issues from the illegal wildlife and pet trade, to deforestation, marine conservation and wildlife tourism, his images have appeared in publications such as National Geographic, BBC, GEO, The Guardian, The Times, Newsweek, and many more, along with numerous international books.
His work has featured in most of the top photographic competitions and he is a previous winner at Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature Photographer of the Year, International Photography Awards, Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year, and others. This Vice News feature explores some of his most famous images.
Aaron has produced or featured in over 100 short- and long-form documentaries. His films have been acquired by Al Jazeera, Smithsonian, Apple TV, Sky, Amazon, and National Geographic. He also fronted several online series for ScubazooTV.
His documentary, Eyes of the Orangutan, was recently up for Best Conservation Film at the prestigious JacksonWild Film Festival, with Aaron nominated for Best On-Screen Talent at Wildscreen. The film is currently being shown on National Geographic.
He is just finishing work on a global documentary about mankind's relationship with big cats (co-produced by Terra Mater), which will be aired later this year.
Picture and Video editor at BBC Wildlife Magazine
Tom joined BBC Wildlife Magazine in 2016 and is responsible for showcasing the strongest, most innovative and compelling wildlife imagery. Over the years he has developed close relationships with a rosta of experienced and very talented conservation photographers, and is constantly on the lookout for new visual storytellers.
After studying Ecology at university he worked for several picture agencies and freelanced as a picture researcher before spending three years living in East Africa working as a photographer with various NGOs. Tom is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and part of the editorial review board for Her Wild Vision.
BBC Wildlife is one of the most respected and long-standing natural history publications in the world and strives to consistently connect readers with animal stories, from topical news stories to deeper dives into science and behaviour. Imagery is always at the forefront of our content, however as print media evolves into a digital space, video and audio are playing an increasingly important role in our storytelling.
Freelance underwater and environmental photojournalist
Based in California, Ralph holds a graduate degree from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and studied sea turtles before transitioning to a career in photography. Using his education in science, Ralph aims to use imagery to simplify complex scientific messaging for public consumption.
Ralph is a member of The Photo Society, represented by Minden Pictures and during the winter months, works with Whale Trust documenting humpback whale research in Maui.
Ralph’s clients include National Geographic Magazine, The Washington Post, The Nature Conservancy, Apple, GEO, National Wildlife, Nature, Sea Turtle Conservancy and others. His work has been awarded by World Press Photo Contest, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and BigPicture.
Nature photographer and Professor in biology
Growing up in a small fishing community in northern Norway, Audun Rikardsen developed a lifelong fascination with the Arctic’s rough landscape, culture, and wildlife, both above and below the ocean’s surface. Photograph for him is about sharing his fascination, stories and knowledge of the Arctic coastline, often through the revelations of new and unusual perspectives. In the last decade, he has been one of the most internationally awarded wildlife photographers, beeing the overall winner of totally 12 international competitions and with several firsts, including several awards in the Wildlife photographer of the year. His work and stories have been published in magazines like National Geographic, GEO and BBC Magazine. His fascination for nature have also been documented in several national and international TV productions over the last years. While he remains a part-time photographer, he has the unique combination of also beeing a full-time professor in biology at the UiT Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø where he use this combination to integrate photography into his scientific fieldwork and to inspire and make his scientific results public.
www.audunrikardsen.com
Conservation photographer
Jaime Rojo is a Spanish photographer who combines his passion for wild nature, his background in conservation and his storytelling skills to work on visuals stories with wilderness and wildlife at the center. A strong advocate for conservation, he hopes his images can ultimately become a tool for protecting nature. He studied Environmental Sciences in Madrid and began his professional life in Mexico in 2004 where he worked in a conservation organization to promote the establishment of new protected areas, biological corridors or rewilding efforts. After more than 15 years abroad, in which he directed numerous environmental communication campaigns, Jaime returned to Spain in 2020, where he has continued his outreach work. His most recent projects include "Saving the Monarchs", a photographic story on the migration of the monarch butterfly that was a cover article for National Geographic in January 2024 and "Andorra al natural", a project to create awareness about the biodiversity of the small country in the Pyrenees. Jaime frequently collaborates as a photographer, creative director and communications advisor with environmental organizations, educational institutions, government agencies and companies around the world, and has recently been featured as a speaker at the prestigious TED talks. Jaime is a National Geographic Explorer, Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and trustee to The WILD Foundation and his work has been awarded in competitions such as World Press Photo, Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Pictures of the Year International