Forests, fires and footings: Earth Photo award winners
Out of 1,582 entries, a judging panel made up of experts from the fields of photography, film, geography and environment selected the Earth Photo 2025 shortlist: 195 images and 8 videos by 40 photographers and film-makers from around the world. In this image by Skander Khlif, a boy plays on a dam in the Beja region of Tunisia, where, according to local organisations, water levels have been critically low for several years, highlighting the ongoing struggle against water scarcity
A Ticuna man stands by the side of a 500-year-old ceiba tree in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The tree has lines that mark where the water level reaches during the rainy season, which runs from April to May. This photograph was taken in May 2024 and by that time, the level should be at the maximum, however, the rains were scarce due to climate change
One of the deepest open pit copper mines in the world, this abandoned miners' town has a cemetery that is gradually being subsumed by mineral ore extraction. We see the vastness of Chuquicamata, and the marks we make on the natural world, telling a story of unsustainable mining practices fuelled by increased global demand for copper 'driven by its role as a critical primary element in the transition to renewable energy'
From the series Carcass of the Ice Beast, The Icebreaker Project is a photograph taken of the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland. In 2009, thermally reflective blankets were used to slow its melting, covering five acres to deflect infrared radiation. 'Today, these coverings hang in tatters, like the torn skin of a dying giant,' Liam Man explains. By anthropomorphising the glacier, the photographer invites us to 'bear witness to the cryosphere's beauty and its vulnerability'
Mike Seddon, Forestry England chief executive: 'As the profound changes our planet faces come ever closer in our awareness and our lives, the winning images and films from this year's Earth Photo show these shifts starkly, creatively and beautifully. Visitors to the nation's forests will have a chance to see and respond to many of these deeply moving images as the exhibition tours the country. And set in the heart of woodlands and forests that we are caring for, each image shines a light on the diversity, fragility and interconnectedness of our world'
This image, taken in Larache, Morocco, captures a turning point where nature and human impact collide: a forest once used for leisure and reflection, now consumed by fire. Chorrib's work invites viewers to confront humanity's role in ecological degradation and calls for urgent, collective action to safeguard what remains
Yurok tribal members and biologists Oshun O'Rourk and Yadao Inong set up rotary screw traps with technicians on the Trinity River in Willow Creek, California. The team uses these traps to capture live fish for the annual disease assessment and to study migration patterns. For centuries, the Klamath Basin has been the cultural and ecological heart of the Yurok tribe, who identify as 'Indians of the river and coast'
Footings on a bog used to harvest turf for domestic use. Using a combination of 'topographical mapping and metaphorical exploration', Hynan's project reflects on the legacy of industrial peat harvesting, and recent tensions between traditional turf cutting practices and the need to restore and protect fragile peatland ecosystems
Documenting the shift from large-scale extraction to conservation efforts and the establishment of renewable energy sites, Hynan's work reveals how communities are redefining their relationship with bogland. He invites viewers to consider the bog not only as a living archive of history but as a vital site for climate action and cultural renewal in the present
Earth Photo reflects our common interest in enabling a better understanding of the world around us
A selection of outstanding photography and film projects were chosen as the Earth Photo 2025 award winners. After the Royal Geographic Society exhibition, Earth photo 2025 will be touring to Forestry England sites, as well as the Sidney Nolan Trust, and locations across the UK
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