A jaw-dropping vision of the future: The 11 best Environmental Photographer 2023 winners

Take a look at the winners of 2023's thought-provoking and striking Environmental Photographer of the Year Competition

Photo by Hoang Long Ly/EPOTY 23

James Cutmore

Published: November 23, 2023 at 7:44 am

For many years, the Environmental Photographer Of The Year competition has championed the best and most challenging environmental photography from around the world.

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 drivers working on sea bed — 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 small island with ice and houses — 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

Aerial view of green geothermal hole — 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

salt pans small squares filled with brown liquid — 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

Man cleaning trash from water by Taj Mahal india — 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

Aerial image of People walking through large mounds of 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

Aerial view of cows walking through flooded field guided by herder — 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

time lapse bird swoop at night — 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

aerial image of buffaloes in group walking across white and yellow ground — 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

corals glowing green and blue — 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

hand reaching into room with blue light — 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

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Picture Editor, BBC Science Focus

James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.