The Nature Conservancy announces the winners of its 2022 Photo Contest

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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.

 
Grand Prize – Li Ping, China

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."

 
Guest Judge Choice Award – Shafeeq Mulla, Zambia

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!"

 
Celebrity Judge Choice – Florian Ledoux, Norway

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.

 
Climate – 1st Place – Sandesh Kadur, 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.

 
People & Nature – 1st Place – Janusz Jurek, Poland
 
 
Landscape – 1st Place – Francisco Javier Munuera González, Mexico
 
   
 
Water – 1st Place – Kristin Wright, United States
 
 
Wildlife – 1st Place – Anup Shah, United Kingdom
 
 
Plants & Fungi – 1st Place – Callie Chee, Australia

  All images courtesy of The Nature Conservancy and the respective photographers