edition 2026

ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD

01

Intro

The Environmental Photography Award  

The Environmental Photography Award was launched in 2021 by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to reward photographers annually for their efforts to raise awareness of environmental protection.   

The Award aims to celebrate the incredible beauty of our planet and illustrate the different relationships that human beings have with nature – whether destructive or regenerative – through 5 categories: Polar Regions, Forests, Ocean, Humanity versus Nature, Changemakers.  

Approximately 10,000 images are received each year. An international jury of professional photographers selects the 36 finalists and chooses the category winners and the overall winner. A Public Award and a Students’ Choice Award are also presented.  

The exhibitions of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation's Environmental Photography Award have already travelled to Italy, San Marino, Spain, the United States, Canada and France, and a book is published every year.  

The Environmental Photography Award is a flagship awareness-raising event for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and one of the three pillars of its Green Shift initiative, which is dedicated to promoting inspiring environmental storytelling.

02

Categories

The 5 categories

01

Polar Regions

Images depicting landscapes, wildlife and local communities in the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions illustrated as pristine areas to be preserved. 

The Arctic polar region includes the North of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, Alaska, Canada, Greenland. The Antarctic polar region includes the Sub-Antarctic Islands (South Georgia, Marion and Prince Edward Islands, Crozet and Kerguelen Archipelagos, Heard and McDonald Islands and Macquarie Island).

02

Forests

Images highlighting 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.

03

Ocean

Images that illustrate the richness of our seas and oceans, whether on or under the surface, and showcase the diversity of marine wildlife. 

Images of rivers and lakes should not be submitted.

04

Humanity vs Nature

Images that depict the conflicting relationship between humans and nature, and the negative impact of human activities on the environment: issues related to the consequences of climate change (droughts, wildfires, extreme climate events…), the loss of biodiversity (endangered species, disastrous interactions between humans and wildlife…), as well as the depletion of the world’s water resources.

05

Changemakers

Images that highlight the efforts and actions implemented globally by communities and organisations that help build a more sustainable world and more harmonious relationship between man and nature. It aims to demonstrate hope for Humanity and for the Planet. This category is more about the human aspect than the technologies themselves.

03

Prizing

Award Prizing

Grand Prize Winner (Environmental Photographer 2026)

(chosen by the jury among the 5 category winners)

- 5,000 € grant

- Invitation (including travel and accommodation) to the opening ceremony of the exhibition in Monaco


Category Winners

- 1,000 € grant for each of the 5 category winners

Public Award & Students’ Choice

(to be chosen for each across all categories)

- 500 € grant for the Public Award winning image and invitation (including travel and accommodation) to visit the Amazon Research Station of the International University SEK in Ecuador

- 500 € grant for the Student’s Choice winning image


For all shortlisted photographers 

-Featured in the Environmental Photography Award exhibition in Monaco and on its international tour 

-Published in, and receiving two complimentary copies of the Environmental Photography Award 2026 book

04

The Jury

The 2026 Judges

For each of the five categories, the jury will choose a winning image and 2 runners-up. The jury will choose the grand prize winner (Environmental Photographer 2026) among the category winners.  

The Public Award and the Students’ Choice Award will be voted for online, starting on 30 March 2026, for a period of two weeks.  

A total of 36 photographs will be selected for the 2026 edition, its exhibition and publication.

Jasper Doest

President of the jury

Angel Fitor

Tom Gilks

Sharon Guynup

Florian Ledoux

Steve Winter

Christian Ziegler

Sergio Pitamitz

Contest Chairman

06

Book

2026 Edition

A book is published for each edition (bilingual French-English version), including all the shortlisted photographs, accompanied by explanatory texts. 

2026 Edition

Hardcover, 28.5 x 25 cm, 104 pages

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