London, 27th June | CIWEM, WaterBear, Nikon, MPB, and Arup today launched the 2023 edition of the Environmental Photographer of the Year (EPOTY) competition.
Now in its 16th year, the competition showcases powerful environmental photography from around the world, providing an international platform to raise awareness for environmental issues. The competition welcomes submissions that celebrate humanity’s tenacity and activism and showcase hopeful solutions for our changing planet.
The competition is open until August 30 and is free to enter for all ages and skill sets. Professional and amateur photographers from all over the world are invited to submit their most poignant, insightful, and eye-opening environmental photography captured on their device of choice.
The Environmental Photographer of the Year winner receives a £5,000 cash prize in addition to an interview in CIWEM’s Environment Magazine, visibility across WaterBear’s social channels, and a feature on Nikon Europe’s website.
Nikon’s Young Environmental Photographer of the Year award showcases the best environmental photography from those aged 21 and under. The winner receives a Z Series Mirrorless camera and two NIKKOR Z lenses of their choosing (T&Cs apply).
The competition also awards prizes in four more categories, where participants can win £1,000 cash each in the following:
In a commitment to accountability and transparency, the competition published an ethics statement and will again feature an ethics panel, comprising experts in journalism and photography. The panel will assist in selecting photos that uphold ethical standards regarding consent, permits, and the representation of people and wildlife.
Terry Fuller, Chief Executive, CIWEM commented:
CIWEM pledges to inform, educate and influence through information that is grounded in fact, evidence, and science. EPOTY supports this aim by harnessing the power of storytelling and so inspire people to take action in support of our environment. We are honoured that every year photographers from all over the world choose us to help share their challenging and inspiring stories, photo journalistic narratives, and celebrations of innovation and hope.
Sam Sutaria, CEO at WaterBear added:
“Partnering with CIWEM and Nikon Europe for the third year in a row will allow us to further shine a spotlight on environmental stories through the lens of talented photographers. Visual storytelling has the power to inspire climate action in a way that facts often cannot. We’re so excited to see the incredible stories these photographers capture and how they change minds and hearts around the world”.
Stefan Maier, Senior General Manager Marketing, Nikon Europe commented:
“At Nikon, we pride ourselves in our rich history of empowering creators to tell stories which make an impact. Today, there are few stories of greater importance than that of climate change and conservation. We are honoured to support this award, shining a spotlight on the most inspirational environmental photography from across the globe, as well as those photographers who are passionate about fighting for the planet’s – and their own – future.”
Rachel Thompson, Head of Sustainability, MPB commented:
“Sustainability and the environment are core to MPB’s own purposeful mission so we are proud to be supporting EPOTY for the first time. Visual storytelling is a powerful force which can bring awareness to the critical environmental issues facing our planet. EPOTY provides a global platform for both amateur and professional photographers to tell these important stories, reinforcing the urgent need for action and helping to inspire change.”
Richard Spooner, Global Marketing & Communications Leader for Water, Arup commented:
“Arup is delighted to be continuing its longstanding support of EPOTY. As a consultant focused on sustainable development, we are acutely aware of the impacts of the interconnected climate and nature crises. EPOTY provides a brilliantly accessible platform for surfacing and showcasing impactful photography, with a focus on bringing nature into our worlds, for the good of organisations, communities and the planet, highlighting the critical need to take action now”.
Drawing on the strengths of each partner, the competition is galvanised by the specialist expertise within environmental action, storytelling, photography, and push for change of CIWEM, WaterBear, and Nikon Europe, with the continued support of global sustainable development consultant Arup.
Submissions close on August 30.
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For more information contact: epoty@ciwem.org.
About CIWEM
The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) is a Royal Chartered independent professional body and a registered charity in the United Kingdom working internationally to advance the practice of water and environmental management. CIWEM represents a community of 30,000 professionals with a shared vision for a safe and sustainable world. For more information, visit www.ciwem.org.
About WaterBear
WaterBear Network is an award-winning digital media publisher and interactive streaming network dedicated to our planet. WaterBear encourages their community to switch from mindless scrolling and engage with entertaining films that cover a breadth of topics in the environmental and humanitarian space. Working alongside hundreds of planet partners, both brands & NGOs to produce original content that entertains people into action by making it effortlessly easy. It is all of us, and the planet, together. Enjoy the act of saving our planet and sign up for real change at www.waterbear.com.
About Nikon Europe
Nikon is a world-leading provider of imaging products and services. Its innovative optics technology – from consumer and professional cameras to lenses, system accessories, and sport and recreational optics – is powered by over 100 years of experience. The brand is globally recognised for setting new standards in design and performance, with Nikon’s revolutionary Z series mirrorless cameras and NIKKOR Z lenses representing a new dimension of optical performance. Nikon is committed to leading imaging culture and enables some of the world’s best visual artists to reach their creative potential through visual storytelling. For more information about Nikon’s award-winning products please visit www.europe-nikon.com.
About MPB
MPB is the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photo and video kit. We are the simple, safe and circular way to trade, upgrade and get paid for kit. Our business model is 100% circular. All packaging is 100% plastic free. We’ve served more than 625,000 visual storytellers and every year we recirculate more than 485,000 cameras, lenses and accessories. MPB is trusted by thousands of visual storytellers in the UK. For more information visit www.mpb.com.
About Arup
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of advisors and experts working across 140 countries. Founded to be both humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world. For more information visit www.arup.com.
The winners of the 2022 Environmental Photographer of the Year are today announced. The competition, launched by CIWEM and WaterBear and presented by Nikon in association
with MPB and supported by Arup, attracted thousands of online submissions from over 159
countries.
The EPOTY team is a huge fan of the work that MPB does in the space of circularity and extending the lifespan of your camera kit. To learn a bit more about how that all works, we caught up with Rachel Thompson, VP of Sustainability.
We are extremely pleased to welcome MPB as an associate partner on the Environmental Photographer of the Year 2023 competition!