Polar Wonders
Photographers are invited to submit their most beautiful images depicting landscapes, wildlife and local communities in the polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic).
Intro
Environmental Photography Award 2022
While neither denying the great challenges that await us nor concealing the damage inflicted by humanity on nature, the photographs selected for the second edition of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s Environmental Photography Award reveal the incredible beauty that our planet harbours, from the polar regions to the depths of the ocean, or even nestled in the heart of ancestral forests.
By reflecting on our relationship towards nature and interrelation between human health and planetary health, the photographers invite us on a journey through images and deliver a message of hope; that together we can still act in a meaningful way, if we join forces to limit the effects of climate change and promote the resilience of ecosystems.
Their testimonies encourage us to change, to innovate, to invent sustainable solutions in order to better rethink our lives and our economies. They reveal a real “field of possibilities” for new generations who aspire to a more harmonious relationship with nature.
It is up to each and every one of us to make this world, where we would coexist in a more responsible and prosperous way, possible. Now is the time for action.
Nearly 8,000 photographs were entered in this second edition of the contest.
Categories
01
Photographers are invited to submit their most beautiful images depicting landscapes, wildlife and local communities in the polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic).
02
This category welcomes photographs that illustrate the incredible richness of the underwater world, both in terms of aquatic landscapes and the wildlife inhabiting the ocean.
03
This category aims to highlight the beauty of the flora and fauna that make up the forest ecosystem and the lives of native communities in the boreal, temperate and tropical forests.
04
Images submitted to this category should depict the conflicting relationship between humans and nature, as well as the negative impact of human activities on the environment. Photographs should address the issues related to the consequences of climate change (droughts, deforestation, extreme climate events…), the terrible loss of biodiversity (endangered species, disastrous interactions between humans and wildlife…), as well as the depletion of the world’s water resources. Images can be taken anywhere in the world, from the most remote to the most populated areas, from the warmest to the coldest parts of the globe.
05
This category is dedicated to images that highlight the efforts, actions and solutions implemented globally by communities in order to build a more sustainable world and more harmonious relationships between man and nature. This category welcomes images that demonstrate hope for Humanity and for the Planet. Photographs could illustrate actions undertaken by civil society in favour of environmental protection.
Prizing
- The title “Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022”
- 5,000 € grant
- Invitation (including travel and accommodation) to visit the Amazon Research Station of the International University SEK, and to do a photo documentary in the field, in the heart of the Ecuadorian jungle
- Invitation (including travel and accommodation) to the opening ceremony of the exhibition in the Principality of Monaco
- Public relations support of the Foundation through its communication channels, including social media, press, and newsletter
- 1,000 grant for each of the 5 category winners
- Public relations Public relations support through the Foundation's communication channels (social networks, press articles, newsletter)
- 1,000 € grant for the Public Award
- Featured in the Environmental Photography Award 2022 exhibition in Monaco and on its international tour
- Published in the Environmental Photography Award 2022 catalogue
The Jury
Our prestigious jury of professional photographers select the shortlisted and winning images for each category. From the category winners they select the Environmental Photographer of the Year.
Gallery
Black and Wild, 2019
Escape, 2017
The Giant, 2021
Small May be Beautiful, 2021
The Big Owl and Full Moon, 2018
Two Hearts, One Love, 2020
Shell Patterns, 2018
Pacific Red Sockeye, 2018
In Search of Gerda, 2021
Woman Collecting Camel Dung, 2011
Live River, 2021
Resting Before the Long Swim to the Polar Ice-Pack, 2020
Barracudas, 2017
The Sea is not a Trash Bin!, 2021
Cloud Forest Ocelot, 2022
Swimming in Sunset, 2021
Drought, 2021
Shadows Come to Life, 2016
Life is a Narrow Strip, 2019
Net Zero Transition (II), 2021
Flow of Catfish, 2021
The Broken Ground, 2019
Nemo’s Garden, 2021
Glowworm, 2022
Net Zero Transition (I), 2020
Tears, 2022
Frog, 2018
Hell is Here, 2012
Macro World!, 2020
Svalbard Reindeer in Action, 2021
Berg, 2018
Fire and Ice, 2019
Odd One Out, 2020
Courtship, 2020
The Great Trek, 2019
Disaster, 2021
Book
A book is published for each edition (bilingual French-English version), including all the shortlisted photographs, accompanied by explanatory texts or photographers’ testimonials.
2022 Edition
Hardcover, 28.5 x 25 cm, 104 pages