The Tamesis
For the third consecutive year, Vital Impacts is awarding seven environmental photography scholarships totaling $50,000 and 11 mentorships to photographers who illustrate the complex relationship between humans and the planet, selected from 526 entries from 86 countries. As founder Ami Vitale highlights, Vital Impacts champions artists whose work conveys empathy and interconnectedness and illuminates our shared responsibility to the ecosystem, aiming to support the next generation of storytellers. “We are eager to create opportunities for these emerging voices to explore complex environmental issues with originality and nuance at this critical time.”
Through one-on-one sessions with renowned photographers, editors and conservationists, the 11 photographers receiving the year-long mentorship will have the opportunity to tell stories that celebrate people and the planet.
“Each of these artists walks the line between rigorous documentary photography and artistic exploration, always with a deep ethic of care,” said jury member Alessia Glaviano, head of global PhotoVogue, director of the PhotoVogue Festival.
This year’s jury also includes Azu Nwagbogu, founder and director of the African Artists Foundation and Lagos Photo Festival; Evgenia Arbugaeva, National Geographic Storytelling Fellow and Academy Award nominee; Kathy Moran, associate director of photography at National Geographic; and Pat Kane, recipient of the Jane Goodall Fellowship for Critical Environmental Impact.
$20,000 Environmental Photography Scholarship
“Terra Vermelha” – Tommaso Proti, Brazil
A decade-long investigation into deforestation and indigenous resilience in the Brazilian Amazon.
Atalaya Norte, August 2021: Canamari children from various villages in the Vale do Javari indigenous territory found themselves trapped in a makeshift camp on the banks of the Javari river in Atalaya Norte.Tommaso Proti
Sylvia Earle PhD Environmental Photography Scholarship
“Te Urewera: living ancestors of the Tūhoe people” – Tatsiana Chypsanava, Nelson, New Zealand
The project celebrates the Tohe people’s revolutionary stewardship, recognizing the land as a living ancestor.
Tepa’s children drive their younger siblings home after a swim in the Ohinemataroa (Whakatane River) in Ruatoki, New Zealand. Tūhoe children are taught to be independent and to care for other family members.Tatiana Chipsanawa
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Environmental Photography Scholarship
“Beyond the Steppe” – Cléa T. Rekhou, Algiers, Algeria
The project demonstrates how the ancestral knowledge and collective innovation of desert communities can revitalize the landscape.
