Earth Photo 2025 Award Reveals Human Impact on the Planet

Jun 18, 2025

Matt Growcoot

A man stands between large tree roots on the left; on the right, an aerial black-and-white view of a mountain scarred by mining operations. — Photo credit: Vivian Wan and Lorenzo Poli

The winners of the Earth Photo 2025 Award have been announced and a photographer whose work focuses on a huge open-pit copper mine in Chile has taken home the top prize and £1,000 ($1,350),

Lorenzo Poli visited the alien landscape of the Chuquicamata mine which plunges nearly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) into the Earth. “Taken from above, the photograph shows the vastness of Chuquicamata and the marks we make on the natural world,” the competition writes.

Aerial view of a large cemetery enclosed by walls, surrounded by desert terrain, with residential neighborhoods and mountain ridges visible in the background. The area appears arid and sparsely vegetated. — Poli’s shot ‘Autophagy’ was given the Earth Photo 2025 Award.

Aerial view of a large open-pit mine with terraced, winding roads and exposed earth layers, surrounded by mountains and a hazy sky in the background. The landscape is rugged and industrial. — ‘The Kingdom of Accumulation’ by Lorenzo Poli

Aerial view of a large open-pit mine with terraced, concentric circular layers descending into the earth; vehicles and machinery are visible on some of the levels. The image is in black and white. — ‘Mining Infinity’ by Lorenzo Poli

Aerial view of a large open-pit mine with terraced, stepped sides and winding dirt roads. Several mining vehicles are visible on the roads within the arid, dusty landscape. The sky is dark and overcast. — ‘Arteries of Ambition’ by Lorenzo Poli

A dramatic, black and white aerial view of a mountain heavily scarred by winding mining roads and pathways, creating a stark, intricate pattern across its surface under a dark sky. — ‘The Mountain of Silver’ by Lorenzo Poli

The Royal Geographical Society – Climate of Change Award, worth £500 ($673), went to Liam Man for his project “Carcass of the Ice Beast” which looks at thermally reflective blankets placed on the Rhone Glacier in 2009 to slow its melting that are now in tatters.

“Today, these coverings hang in tatters, like the torn skin of a dying giant”, Man explains. By anthropomorphizing the glacier, the photographer invites us to “bear witness to the cryosphere’s beauty and its vulnerability”.

Large sheets of fabric drape over melting ice and rocks under a night sky with streaking clouds and faint star trails, creating a surreal and haunting landscape. — ‘Tattered Shreds’ by Liam Man

Sheets of white fabric drape over icy terrain at night, illuminated by soft blue light. Five bright stars are aligned vertically in the dark sky above the dramatic, surreal landscape. — ‘Skin and Bones’ by Liam Man

A brightly lit, round hotel stands alone on a mountain road at night, with light trails from passing vehicles curving around it and a starry sky above. — ‘Once Upon a Time’ by Liam Man

A person wearing traditional attire stands between the large roots of a massive tree in a lush, green forest. The tree's thick trunk and sprawling roots dominate the scene. — The Forestry England – Forest Ecosystem Award, worth £500, selected by Forestry England, goes to Mateo Borrero for ‘Waterline’. A Ticuna man stands on the side of a 500-year-old Ceiba tree in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The tree has a water line that marks where the water level reaches during the rainy season which goes from April to May. This photograph was taken in May 2024 and by that time, the level should be at the maximum, however, the rains were scarce by then due to global warming.

Five people work around a floating fish trap structure in a clear river, surrounded by forested hills under a clear blue sky. The group appears to be conducting river monitoring or research activities. — The New Scientist Editors Award, for a photographer with the potential of an image spread in the Aperture section of the magazine, goes to Vivian Wan, who will also receive mentoring with Tim Boddy, Picture Editor, New Scientist. On the Trinity River in Willow Creek, California, Yurok Tribal members and biologists Oshun O’Rourke and Yadao Inong, along with technicians, install rotary screw traps: specialized devices used to catch live fish for annual disease monitoring and to track migration patterns. For centuries, the Klamath Basin has been the cultural and ecological heart of the Yurok Tribe, who identify as “Indians of the river and coast.” The basin’s waters have long sustained fishing, eel hunting, and above all, the sacred salmon—central to Yurok spirituality, identity, and livelihood. Yet decades of “colonization, land dispossession, and environmental degradation have severely impacted this once-thriving ecosystem.” The Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program leads efforts to restore the basin’s health, aiming to heal both land and community. Wan’s photographic work honors this process of reclamation and resilience, capturing the intersection of Indigenous knowledge, ecological science, and the enduring fight for justice and cultural survival.

Created in 2018 by Forestry England, the Royal Geographical Society, and Parker Harris, Earth Photo is a world-leading program in its eighth year, engaging with still and moving image makers to showcase the issues affecting the climate and life on our planet.

Out of over 1,582 entries, a judging panel made up of experts from the fields of photography, film, geography, and environment selected the Earth Photo 2025 shortlist: 195 images and eight videos by 40 photographers and filmmakers from around the world. A selection of outstanding photography and film projects were chosen as the Earth Photo 2025 award winners.