This year’s winner of the grand prize was Maurizio di Petro, a professional photographer based in Italy. His winning image highlights an innovative insect food experiment at the University of Turin, led by Professor Laura Gasco.
Nikon’s Young Environmental Photographer of the Year Award, open to photographers under 21, was awarded to Solayman Hossain from Bangladesh. His image shows a farmer and his cattle being forced to wade through flood waters in order to find food.
This annual competition provides an international platform to raise awareness of environmental issues and is open to amateurs and professionals.
Here are some of the highlights from this year’s competition.
Shortlisted – Guaranteeing Bali’s reef a future
Two local divers are deploying a concrete structure to form a new artificial reef for coral restoration in Jameluk, Indonesia. Photo by Giacomo-dOrlando/EPOTY 23
Shortlisted – Uummannaq
An aerial view of Uummannaq, a small Inuit island in northwest Greenland. In winter, the island is completely surrounded by sea ice and the only way to access the island is by helicopter or skidoo. Photo by Richard Burdon/EPOTY 23
Shortlisted – Geothermal area
An aerial view of the Hveravellir Geothermal Area, Iceland. The country is a global front-runner in utilising geothermal energy as a renewable and sustainable power source. Photo by Pawel Zygmunt/EPOTY 23
Shortlisted – Salinas De Maras
An aerial view of ponds in Salinas de Maras, Peru. These ponds have been used for salt extraction since the pre-Inca period, and have been in continuous operation since then. Located in the Sacred Valley, the Salinas consist of approximately 4,500 salt pans, set in stepped terraces of irregular stone walls. Photo by Marina Abello/EPOTY 23
Shortlisted – Behind the Taj
A worker silently cleans up the environment behind the Taj Mahal, India. Photo by Hoang Long Ly/EPOTY 23
MPB Vision of the future category winner – Walk through trash
This drone shot shows a bridge surrounded by plastic waste in Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the most plastic-polluted countries in the world. Photo by Jahid Apu/EPOTY 23
Youth category winner – Flood-affected area
A farmer and his cows are forced to wade through floodwater to find food after the road in Kushtia, Bangladesh became submerged during monsoon season. Photo by Solayman Hossain/EPOTY 23
Adapting for tomorrow category winner – Intruder
A cunning drongo bird (Dicruridae) uses light from an urban petrol pump to catch termites during monsoon season, suggesting waning food sources in the wild. Photo by Anirban Dutta/EPOTY 23
Keeping 1.5 alive category winner – Survival of buffaloes in drought
Buffaloes scour parched grasslands for food during a drought in Gaibandha, Bangladesh. Photo by Shafiul Islam/EPOTY 23
Recovering nature category winner – Corals at night
A nocturnal coral reef comes to life during a night dive in Aruba. Bioluminescence is a fascinating natural phenomenon and can indicate the health of oceans. Photo by Nicolas Marin Benitez/EPOTY 23
Overall winner – Black soldier fly farming
An innovative insect food experiment at the University of Turin assesses the potential of black soldier flies as a potential source of nutrition in the future. This research project assesses the impact of incorporating insect flour into the diets of rainbow trout and chickens to determine its potential as a nutrition source, particularly as food scarcity increases in line with a growing world population. Photo by Maurizio Di Pietro/EPOTY 23
