In this photo, titled “Shearwater’s Dilemma,” photographer Henley Spiers captures a wedge-tailed shearwater diving into a school of lanternfish off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The photo was honored in the Ocean category of the Environmental Photography Award. Henley Spiers
The winners of the 2026 Environmental Photography Award capture both the lush beauty of the natural world and the heavy imprint left by humanity.
Presented by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the award recognizes work that raises awareness of the need for environmental protection. This year’s honorees were selected by a jury of leading photographers from a pool of roughly 10,000 entries. They honored a standout photo in each of five categories — Ocean, Polar Regions, Forests, Humanity versus Nature, and Changemakers — and an overall winner.
The five winners are shown here.
Winning in the Polar Regions category, “The Gathering,” by Vadim Makhorov, depicts a group of Pacific walruses on Ratmanov Island, a Russian isle that lies between Alaska and Siberia. Pacific walruses are the largest species of walrus, growing up to 13 feet in length and weighing as much as 1.5 tons. Vadim Makhorov
In “Spirits of the Falls,” winner of the Forests category, photographer Arnaud Farré captures two toco toucans at the stunning Iguazú Falls, a system of 275 waterfalls straddling the border of Argentina and Brazil. Marked by its bright orange bill, the toco toucan is the largest member of the toucan family. Arnaud Farré
Winning in the Humanity versus Nature category, the photo “Born for the Ocean, Fated to the Flames,” by Fernando Faciole, shows dozens of shark fins being incinerated in São Paulo, Brazil. The illicitly trafficked fins were confiscated by Brazilian authorities in 2023. Fernando Faciole
Photographer Britta Jaschinski's “Handprint on Sea Turtle” is both the winner of the Changemakers category and the overall winner of this year's contest. The image, taken at the Zoological Society of London Wildlife Forensic Lab in London, shows a human handprint on a dead green sea turtle that had been confiscated at Heathrow Airport. Experts at the lab are using fluorescent powder dyes and ultraviolet light to detect handprints and fingerprints on trafficked wildlife, as well as blood, gunpowder, and other evidence left by poachers and smugglers. Britta Jaschinski
