Winners of Environmental Photographer Of The Year 2025 announced

16 December 2025

The competition showcases inspirational environmental photography from around the world, celebrating humanity’s ability to adapt and innovate while raising awareness of the issues that put our planet at risk

The 2025 competition, now in its 18th year, attracted hundreds of submissions from across the globe. Winning photos highlight issues including fertiliser runoff, wetland restoration, and climate-adaptive education.

A photograph capturing the environmental fallout of phosphate fertiliser use, an image of Iranian women cleaning a dried wetland, and a picture of a school built on stilts in floodwaters are among the winning entries from this year’s Environmental Photographer of the Year (EPOTY) competition.

The competition presents inspirational environmental photography from around the world, showcasing thought-provoking photos that celebrate humanity’s ability to adapt and innovate, raising awareness of the issues that put our planet at risk, and highlight more sustainable approaches. 

The competition, powered by the CIWEM, supported by Arup, and driving positive impact with Brave Blue World Foundation, continues to provide an international platform to reflect the pressing environmental challenges facing our planet. CIWEM is dedicated to a world in which professionalism and excellence build connections that inspire widespread, impactful water and environmental solutions. EPOTY perfectly reflects CIWEM's values and commitment to people, planet and possibilities, showcased through the visual medium of photography.

This year's five winners primarily come from climate-vulnerable countries, including Bangladesh, India, and Argentina, with photographers on the front-line using photos as a tool to spark climate action and generate awareness.

Award categories and winners

The competition features the grand title awards and four further award categories, including:

Grand title winner: Too Much of a Good Thing, J Henry Fair, 2024 (EPOTY25)

Jasper, USA (21/03/2024)

Phosphate is one of the three macro-nutrients necessary to plant growth. The supply is limited, and reserves are situated in only a few places. Fertiliser is a combination of these three elements, (the others being potassium and nitrogen), all of which have their own environmental impacts. When combined as fertiliser, the runoff from fields causes algae blooms in downstream water bodies, which deplete them of oxygen. The processing of phosphate requires vast amounts of fresh water and leaves huge quantities of residual acidic and radioactive waste.

Quote from Grand Title Winner, J Henry Fair: "I am extremely gratified by this recognition. My effort has been to make compelling images of environmental crises. This makes the crisis real to those that view the images. In these surreal times, in which we all seem powerless to effect change, making images that tell these stories is an effective method to promote dialogs about remediation. This award adds greatly to my credibility in doing that, and I will of course continue this work, fighting environmental battles wherever I can."

'Models of stewardship' category winner: Gathering Of Angels, Maho, 2025 (EPOTY25)

Gavkhuni Wetlands, Iran (31/01/2025)

On International Wetlands Day, veiled women from Varzaneh (known as the White Angels), along with Iranian activists and environmentalists formed a human chain at the centre of the Gavkhuni International Wetland to clean the bottom of the wetland from garbage.

They are calling on the country's environmental organisation to permanently restore this wetland, which has been severely dried out for 25 years due to water shortages and human factors, to prevent the spread of salts from the bottom of the wetland into the city by the wind and change the area's rich ecosystem.

'Inspired by nature' category winner: Rainbow over Shawangunks and Bashakill Wetlands, J Henry Fair, 2024 (EPOTY25)

Wurtsboro, USA (09/06/2024)

The Bashakill Wetlands are named for a Lenape Indian medicine woman who harvested medicinal plants there. They are a thriving habitat and a rewilding success story, and when European settlers arrived, they drained the wetlands for cattle farming. In 1972, New York State purchased the area and created a dam to encourage its return to nature. Now the pressure of development threatens it again.

'Deluge or drought' category winner: The Dreamers of the Haor: Learning Amid Rising Waters, Syed Mahabubul Kader, 2025 (EPOTY25)

Kishoreganj, Bangladesh (22/09/2025)

In the Haor wetlands of Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, education doesn’t stop even when the waters rise. For nearly nine months of the year, Baherbali SESDP Model High School remains surrounded by floodwaters, accessible only by boat. Every day, 220 students and 10 teachers from six-seven nearby villages travel across the submerged landscape. Built on stilts, the school stands as an example of an adaptive response to annual floods, ensuring that children can continue their studies despite environmental challenges.

'From source to sea' category winner: Clouds of Gold, Jassen Todorov, 2025 (EPOTY25)

San Francisco Bay, USA (28/01/2025)

Clouds drift over the vivid salt ponds of San Francisco Bay, their shapes mirrored in waters stained by minerals and microorganisms. Spanning nearly 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres), these ponds shimmer in an ever-changing spectrum of colour. Centuries ago, the Ohlone people harvested salt from the bay’s natural tidal pools. In the 19th century, European settlers transformed the region by enclosing vast stretches of wetland behind dikes, turning it into one of the world’s largest salt production sites. At its peak, this industry consumed over 14,000 hectares (36,000 acres) of shoreline and led to the loss of nearly 85% of the bay’s original tidal marshes – habitats once teeming with life.

In 2003, the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project marked a turning point. With the acquisition of nearly 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of salt ponds from Cargill, a multinational food corporation that still harvests about half a million tons of salt each year, efforts began to slowly reintroduce tidal flow. Through the careful removal of levees and human-made barriers, native ecosystems are beginning to return. Salt-tolerant plants, steelhead trout, and migratory birds now signal the revival of a landscape once written off as lost.

Ethics and Jury

This year’s competition proceedings again included an ethics review, ensuring accountability and transparency in photo selection. Our expert assisted with photo selections around questions of consent, permits, and ethical representation of people and wildlife.

This year’s jury members were National Geographic explorer and photographer Arati Kumar-Rao; Arup associate director and nature leader for Europe John Tayleur; award-winning environmental and social photographer Matilde Gattoni.

EPOTY Partners

About Arup:

Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of advisors and experts working across 140 countries. Founded to be both humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.

➞ Find out more at arup.com.

About Brave Blue World:

The Brave Blue World Foundation is a not-for-profit initiative focused on providing a platform for scientific educational storytelling and public engagement. The foundation was created with a view to inspire a shift in thinking towards solving water challenges globally. Brave Blue World Foundation has partnered up with some of the leading experts and technology companies within the water industry.

➞ Find out more at braveblue.world

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To learn more about The Environmental Photographer of the Year winners, and to see their winning photographs and captions, please visit: www.epoty.org.