The Nature Conservancy announces the winners of its 2022 Photo Contest
posted Monday, October 3, 2022 at 1:00 PM EDT
The Nature Conservancy has announced the winners of its 2022 Photo Contest. The 2022 edition of the contest had its largest global participation ever, with entries from 196 different countries and territories across the contest's six categories.
The winning images were selected by a panel of judges, including renowned conservation photographer Ami Vitale and the host of YouTube's Brave Wilderness, Coyote Peterson. From the more than 100,000 entries, the judges selected the grand prize-winning photo by photographer Li Ping in China. Ping's image shows a drone's eye view of a highway in Tibet, bordered by gullies that extend on either side of the road in the shape of a tree. Ping slept overnight in a roadside parking lot to get the image in the early morning light.
For the Grand Prize, Ping wins the chance to attend an Extreme E race in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Extreme E brings attention to climate change and all its cars are 100% electric. Additionally, 1st place winners get $750 gift cards and 2nd place awards include a $500 gift card.
Judge Ami Vitale said, "The diversity of images from around the world gave a glimpse into our fragile planet and all the life that inhabits it. The contest itself was a mesmerizing odyssey and we are left with a profound message of how interconnected all of us are and what it means to our own survival to intermingle with wildness."
In addition to the Grand Prize, the contest also featured a Celebrity Judge Award, chosen by Peterson, and a Guest Judge Choice Award, selected by Vitale. "It was an honor getting to judge the work of so many wonderfully talented photographers," said judge Coyote Peterson. "To witness, let alone capture such stunning images in nature, is a feat more difficult to achieve than most will ever understand. A round of applause for all those who braved the wilderness to capture their images and a standing ovation to all whose work made it into the final selections round!"
This year's contest added a new Climate category. This provided photographers an opportunity to show how climate change affects different ecosystems worldwide. The winning Climate photo shows a fan-throated lizard (Sarada superba) at a wind farm in the Satara district of India. Researchers believe that the wind farms have reduced the predators for the lizard, which has impacted the lizard's behavior and morphology. The image was captured by Sandesh Kadur of India.
"The Photo Contest is an annual highlight at TNC. These incredible images from talented photographers all over the world remind us how connected we are to each other and to this beautiful planet, and at the same time of the challenges we face," said Meg Goldthwaite, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for The Nature Conservancy. "It energizes us as we work to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends, so that future generations can enjoy the same natural wonders depicted in these amazing photos."
Below, we are featuring the winners of the other five categories. If you'd like to see the runners-ups and honorable mention winners, head to The Nature Conservancy. There are so many beautiful images captured by many extremely talented photographers.
All images courtesy of The Nature Conservancy and the respective photographers