From a rhino at the end of a rainbow to the molten front line of a wildfire, the shortlist for Earth Photo 2025 is full of riveting environmental stories that demand to be told.
In its seventh year, the international photography and film contest initiated by the UK’s Royal Geographical Society,Forestry England, and visual arts consultancy firm Parker Harris in 2018 attracted more than 1,500 entries from around 250 ‘lens artists’.
40 photographers and filmmakers were selected by a jury of experts, who now have the unenviable task of choosing a winner from the 203-strong collection of “urgent, poetic and often unexpected stories”.
These tales underscore the critical concerns of
climate change
, including vanishing ecosystems, contaminated waterways, and displacements caused by climate change, while also acknowledging human innovation, perseverance, and strong bonds with natural surroundings,” stated the competition organizers.
Below are seven of our top picks, prior to choosing a winner for the The Earth Photo 2025 exhibition, which will commence at the Royal Geographical Society from June 17th until August 20th.
7. ‘Pandamonium’ in China
Donning a panda suit at Wolong’s Hetaoping centre in Sichuan Province is just one of many things that Ami Vitale has done to embody her belief in “living the story”.
The National Geographic photographer, author, and movie producer has journeyed to over 100 nations, documenting the narratives of people at the forefront of both climate change and conflict, those who decline to allow disaster to shape their destinies.
At the Chinese
panda
At the center, cubs are brought up with limited human interaction, including infrequent manual examinations, aiming to develop abilities necessary for surviving in their natural habitat.
In ‘A Hopeful Sign,’ as mentioned earlier, Vitale captured an image of a tranquil black rhino called Bruno lounging under a rainbow at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
6. Spotlight on olive tree cultivation
Over more than ten years, Spanish-born artist Berta De La Rosa has committed herself to a project titled ‘Getsemaní,’ aiming to safeguard Mediterranean customs by emphasizing the importance of the olive tree.
“My objective for this ongoing lifetime endeavor, centered around environmental sustainability, is to use the symbol of the olive tree—a universally recognized emblem of hope—to advocate for all our trees,” she explains.
And through this action, I aim to protect our environments and restore the respect owed to farm work.
5. The final inhabitants of the Cursed Mountains
Chiara Fabbro is an Italian documentary photographer residing in London, concentrating her work on themes of migration, displacement, and human connections.
In this series, she focuses her camera on what could be the last generation of shepherds residing in the isolated uplands of the Accursed Mountains, an impressive chain that stretches across the region.
Albania
, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
Their age-old lifestyle is being jeopardized by droughts caused by climate change, which makes herds venture farther for grazing, along with young people moving away from isolated highland living.
4. ‘Heartaly’: Italy Amid Climate Change
A cross-country ski trail meanders through a forest devoid of snow. Currently, about ninety percent of Italy’s ski runs depend on man-made snow production, which uses approximately 96,840,000 cubic meters of water each year—enough to supply a population of one million inhabitants.
That’s one aspect of the way global heating is manifesting in Italy, a subject Italian documentary photographer Filippo Ferraro explores through his ‘Heataly’ project.
3. Aquatic Routes Within the Amazon
In an image captured by Colombian photographer and engineer Mateo Borrero, a Ticuna man stands small beside a colossal 500-year-old Ceiba tree within the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.
At first glance, the picture appears to showcase merely the insignificance of humanity next to a colossal natural wonder. However, a horizontal shadow level with the person reveals a more profound narrative.
The tree features a watermark indicating the usual high level of the river during the wet season, typically reaching its peak between April and May. Captured in May 2024, this photograph illustrates the scale of flooding from the previous year.
drought
due to climate change.
2. A thermal view of Iceland’s shrinking woodlands
Iceland, which was previously covered by forests to the extent of 40 percent, now retains just approximately 1.5 percent woodland coverage. Efforts for restoration are crucial as Iceland aims to attain carbon neutrality by 2040; however, these initiatives encounter numerous obstacles—among them being the increasing pressures posed by tourism growth.
Photographer and director Jussi Hellsten notes that tourism in Iceland has dramatically increased over the last ten years, but
emissions from travel
are not included in national inventories as per the Kyoto Protocol, making it difficult for the country to advance its climate initiatives.
“Starting from 2021, I have been recording the overlap between tourism and reforestation efforts in Iceland through digital infrared photography, which is often used to evaluate forest health,” he clarifies.
The method uncovers unseen features of the terrain,” he explains. As shown in this image, it also underscores the crucial part played by volunteers. Each year, millions of tree saplings are cultivated at facilities similar to the Kvistari nursery depicted here.
1. Discarded plastics ending up on Bali’s shorelines
In January 2025, Bali’s shores were overwhelmed by waves of plastic contamination. Annually, during the monsoon season, Indonesia’s contaminated waterways release millions of tons of plastic debris into the seas, which subsequently pile up across the nation’s coastal areas.
Despite this yearly phenomenon of plastic waves, 2025 has been termed “the most severe year so far” by residents.
The Beijing-based British photographer and filmmaker Sean Gallagher journeyed to Indonesia to capture this developing story.
plastic crisis
His work showcases Indonesian locals participating in communal initiatives to cleanse their nation’s contaminated shores, waterways, and mangrove forests.
