Environmental Photo Competition Shows Devastating Impact Humans Can Have On Wildlife

A split image shows: on the left, a koala lies injured on the edge of a road at dusk with car headlights approaching; on the right, a sea turtle glows with green bioluminescence underwater. — Doug Gimesy, left, Britta Jachinski, right. Scroll down for captions.

The winners of the 2026 Environmental Photography Award have been announced, and photographer Britta Jaschinski has been presented with the grand prize for her image, Handprint on Sea Turtle, which also won the “Changemakers” category.

The award is organized by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. It shortlisted 36 photographs, and includes seven prize-winning images: five category winners — “Changemakers”, “Forests”, “Humanity vs Nature”, “Ocean”, and “Polar Regions” — each receiving a €1,000 ($1,170) cash prize; a Public Award; and a Student’s Choice Award, both receiving a €500 ($585) grant. The Grand Prize is selected from among the five category winners and is supported by a €5,000 ($5,850) grant.

Jaschinski’s winning photo shows the sinister handprint made by a human who should not have been touching a green sea turtle. She was able to capture the photo through her work with wildlife forensics, who are hunting smugglers.

The scene demonstrates a method for securing forensic evidence that can help to catch poachers and animal traffickers. Special fluorescent powder dyes, photographed under ultraviolet light, reveal traces of handprints and fingerprints, blood and other bodily fluids, and gunpowder residues, among others.

A sea turtle viewed from above glows with green bioluminescence on its shell and fins, floating against a dark, starry background with scattered green light patterns. — Environmental Photographer of the Year 2026 and winner of the ‘Changemakers’ category. | © Britta Jaschinski

“I am deeply grateful to HSH Prince Albert II and his Foundation for bringing us together in support of our precious planet,” says Jaschinski. “It is a true honor to be named Environmental Photographer of the Year 2026, recognized by an esteemed jury among such distinguished work.”

Category Winners and Runners-Up

A person carrying a large, detailed bird sculpture resembling a curlew walks through a farm gate, with stone walls, rusty trailers, and rolling green hills in the background under a cloudy sky. — Runner-up in the ‘Changemakers’ category. | © Morgan Heim

A person wearing protective beekeeping gear stands surrounded by hundreds of bees covering their suit and the white background wall. — Runner-up in the ‘Changemakers’ category. | © Maud Delaflotte

A koala lies motionless on the edge of a paved road at dusk, illuminated by headlights from an approaching car, surrounded by forest. — Winner of the Public Award. Koalas in Australia cross roads all the time, but sadly it’s a major threat to the iconic species. Speeding drivers are to blame for not just deaths, but welfare as the marsupials also suffer crippling injuries. The photographer urges drivers to slow down. | © Doug Gimesy

Two toucans perched and one in flight on a tree in front of a misty waterfall surrounded by lush greenery, with a cloudy sky in the background. — Winner of the ‘Forests’ category. | © Arnaud Farre

A Florida panther lies on the ground amid dense foliage, looking upward with its mouth slightly open, revealing its teeth. Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled light on its face and fur. — Runner-up in the ‘Forests’ category. A female puma in Costa Rica. | © Luca Eberle

A green parrot with yellow tail feathers and open wings pecks at the tail of a large lizard climbing a tree trunk, with lush green foliage in the background. — Runner-up in the ‘Forests’ category. A parakeet attacks a monitor lizard. | © Hira Punjabi

A pile of shark fins burns intensely inside a furnace, surrounded by bright orange and yellow flames. — Winner of the ‘Humanity Vs Nature’ category. Shark fins that were seized by authorities in Brazil are incinerated. | © Fernando Faciole

Two children look out from a window above floodwaters in a narrow alley; one child sits on the window ledge with feet above the water, while the other stands behind the glass. Flooded street and houses are visible outside. — Runner-up in the ‘Humanity Vs Nature’ category. Flooding in the heart of Java Island, Indonesia. | © Alain Schroeder

Underwater view of two large whale sharks swimming near the surface, with silhouettes of people swimming and snorkeling above and around them and an outrigger boat floating above in clear blue water. — Runner-up in the ‘Humanity Vs Nature’ category. Whale shark tourist site in the Philippines. | © Peter McGee

A large seabird with wings spread glides just above a dense, swirling school of fish in blue water, creating ripples and patterns on the surface. — Winner of the ‘Ocean’ category. A wedge-tailed shearwater plunges into a football-pitch-sized school of lanternfish, struggling to single out a target. The fish move as one, their schooling defence working perfectly. The bird surfaced without catching anything and circled back for another dive. | © Henley Spiers

A dramatic sunset sky with dark clouds looms over a tropical island, while below the water’s surface, a large school of shimmering fish swims in the blue ocean. — Runner-up in the ‘Ocean’ category. A school of bigeye trevally, D’Arros Island, Seychelles. | © Shane Gross

Aerial view of a whale underwater with its fluke visible above the surface, surrounded by a circular disturbance in the dark ocean. — Runner-up in the ‘Ocean’ category. Humpback whale and her calf. | © Arnaud Farre

A dense group of walruses, seen from above, packed closely together. Their brown bodies and long tusks are visible, forming a textured, almost uniform mass. — Winner of the ‘Polar Regions’ category. Pacific walruses on Ratmanov Island. | © Vadim Makhorov

Two polar bears stand close together on a vast, snow-covered slope, with diagonal lines of exposed dark rock cutting across the white landscape. The bears are small against the expansive, wintry backdrop. — Runner-up of the ‘Polar Regions’ category. Polar bear mother and cub. | © Panos Laskarakis

Two brown skuas stand on snow, each grasping a chick or small bird in their beaks, appearing to compete over the prey against a bright, snowy background. — Runner-up of the ‘Polar Regions’ category. Brown skuas, Antarctica. | © Lucas Bustamante

The photographs shortlisted for the 2026 edition will be exhibited on the Promenade du Larvotto in Monaco from 28 May to 30 July 2026, before touring internationally. As in previous editions, a book featuring all selected images and their accompanying texts will be published by Skira Paris.

The call for entries for next year’s competition will begin on September 1.

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