13 amazing images from this year's Environmental Photography Award
13 amazing images from this year's Environmental Photography Award
Worms violently flushing sand out of their burrows wins top environmental photography prize.
Polychaete worms flush sand out of their burrows amidst a seagrass bed in the Spanish Mediterranean. As members of the so-called infauna- a huge and diverse community adapted to an underground life at sea- they play a pivotal role on mantaining oxygen circulation in the upper layers of sediment at sea, a key action that allows a whole ecosystem to thrive under the substrate. All seagrass beds accross the Ocean, and large amounts of sealife rely on the riches of infauna to thrive. The unsung activity of these ever hidden worms has massive consequences at a global scale.
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation have announced the winners of the 2025 Environmental Photography Award. This year's overall winner was an amazing image of polychaete worms flushing sand out of their burrows, taken by photographer Angel Fitor.
The shortlisted selection for this year's edition of the Environmental Photography Award features 36 photographs and includes 7 prize-winning images in categories such as 'Polar Wonders', 'Into the Forest', 'Ocean Wolds', 'Humanity Versus Nature' and 'Change Makers: Reasons for Hope'.
The winning and shortlisted images will be exhibited on thePromenade du Larvotto in Monaco from 3 June to 31 July 2025, before starting an international tour.
The Environmental Photography Award was established in 2021 by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to honour photographers who raise awareness about environmental protection and to amplify the impact of their work through a touring exhibition and dedicated publication.
Here are some of our favourites from this year's competition.
This tapir (nicknamed Valente) was rescued with all four legs and ears burned and unable to move. The roughly one-year-old male was saved by the Onçafari project team on the Caiman property, in the southern Pantanal region of Brazil. The animal is now undergoing intensive treatment to heal its injuries and ultimately return to the wild. Photo by Fernando Faciole
The Andean bear, also known as the ‘spectacled bear’ (Tremarctos ornatus), is the only bear species native to South America. Unfortunately, it is threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and poaching. However, local communities are working to preserve the Andean forests and their species, as in the Ecopalacio Nature Reserve, about 30 kilometres from Bogotá, Colombia, where this picture was taken. Photo by Santiago J. Monroy García
A lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is photographed near a massive iceberg off the coast of Tasiilaq, East Greenland. The stark contrast between the deep blue water and the glistening white ice offers a mesmerising backdrop for this jellyfish as it glides through the water. Photo by Galice Hoarau
Camouflaged in the Garbage Dump by Lakshitha Karunarathna
A lone elephant is spotted here feasting on a very vibrant patch of a vast garbage site in Sri Lanka. As some of the largest waste dumping sites are placed very close to the Important Dry Zone forests in Sri Lanka, elephants regularly visit these sites, looking for an easy meal. Unfortunately, they can also ingest harmful microplastics and polythene along with the food, which are life-threatening elements to elephants. Photo by Lakshitha Karunarathna
An iceberg drifts on the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, Iceland, 2024. Photo by Michaël Arzur
Change Makers: Reason for Hope category laureate
Training Day by Angel Fitor
A baby loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is offered its first-ever jellyfish in a tank as part of a head-starting program in Valencia, Spain. A crew of veterinarians and biologists at L´Oceanografic Foundation raised the hatchlings from nests dug on tourist-crowded beaches over a year to give some of them a chance of survival. During that period, turtles were fed artificial recipes aimed at improving their development, but also cultivated jellyfish to train them for their future meal once released in the wild. Photo by Angel Fitor
Two male stag beetles engage in a brief duel on the branch of an oak tree in a forest near Florence, Italy. During the mating season, male stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) go into a frenzy, with lively but harmless clashes in which bigger males often have the advantage over smaller ones. Many endangered species, such as stag beetles, appear on the Italian Conservation Organisation's red list. Photo by Iacopo Nerozzi
The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is now the only subspecies of tiger that survives in Indonesia. The world’s tiger population has declined by 95 per cent over the last hundred years, mainly as a result of deforestation. Photo by Bambang Wirawan
Ocean category runner-up
The Passenger by Pietro Formis
A small female paper nautilus (Argonauta argo) perches on a group of salps (a type of animal plankton) in Anilao’s blackwater in the Philippines. She uses these as a platform while she protects and lays her eggs inside her delicate, coiled shell. Photo by Pietro Formis
Change Makers: Reason for Hope category runner-up
Little Giant’s Walk by Fernando Faciole
This juvenile giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) was found clinging to its deceased mother and rescued by the Wild Animal Triage Centre, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. This image shows the moment just before the last feed of the day. After being fed, the anteaters are encouraged to walk around the facilities to exercise and develop their instincts. Photo by Fernando Faciole
Polar Wonders category runner-up
Female Fight by Miquel Angel Artús Illana
This image was captured in Norway’s Dovrefjell National Park, where the musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) was reintroduced several years ago. It is normal for males of this species to engage in fierce battles during the mating season. What is more unusual and makes the image special is that, rather than males, it shows two females engaged in a fight. Photo by Miquel Angel Artús Illana
Polychaete worms (Polychaeta) flush sand out of their burrows amidst a seagrass bed in the Spanish Mediterranean. As members of the so-called infauna - a huge and diverse community adapted to an underground life at sea - they play a pivotal role in maintaining oxygen circulation in the upper layers of sediment at sea. This is a key action that allows a whole ecosystem to thrive under the substrate. Photo by Angel Fitor
More amazing wildlife photography from around the world
Group visual editor for BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile and BBC Science Focus
James Cutmore is the Group Visual Editor from BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile and BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked as a picture editor for over two decades, telling compelling science and nature stories through the use of striking imagery.
