The 2024 Grand Prize winner, selected by our prestigious jury of photography professionals, is this poignant image of an orangutan shot at a wildlife tourism attraction in Bangkok by environmental photojournalist and film-maker Aaron Geskoski.

Orangutans are commonly used in performances across Asia. Here at Safari World they have to perform a number of routines, like ‘dancing’ in bikinis and fighting each other. After the shows, they are used for photo opportunities. In the background we see the Three Wise Monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil – symbolic of how we ignore the cruelties inherent in these activities. In order to supply attractions such as these orangutans are often stolen from the wild, with their mothers killed in the process.

Aaron wins the title of Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024, alongside a €5000 grant, an invitation including travel and accommodation to the University of Ecuador’s Amazon Research Station in the heart of the Ecuadorian jungle, and an invitation including travel and accommodation to Monaco for the 2024 Award Ceremony.