{"id":1038782,"date":"2026-06-20T12:26:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1038782\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:26:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:46","slug":"26-award-winning-photos-show-the-good-and-bad-of-how-we-interact-with-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1038782\/","title":{"rendered":"26 Award-Winning Photos Show the Good and Bad of How We Interact With Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Split<\/p>\n

The winning photos from the third annual Nature and Humans Photo Competition<\/a> reveal two very different but equally important aspects of non-human animals. <\/p>\n

Content warning:<\/strong> Some of the photographs below may be distressing to some readers. There are numerous photos of animals in extremely difficult and painful situations. Competition organizers rightly believe that these images are as important to view as outright beautiful ones, but a warning is nonetheless warranted. <\/p>\n

On the one hand, the photo contest, which celebrates conservation photography and related initiatives, reveals the very ugly side of how people interact with animals, including through controversial factory-farming practices. On the other hand, the competition celebrates beautiful nature and wildlife photos that show animals at their very best. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the three \u2018Nature and Humans\u2019 conservation categories, we awarded powerful and original photographs that explore the relationship \u2014 positive or negative \u2014 between the natural environment and us, human beings,\u201d the competition explains. \u201cBoth hopeful and distressing images were awarded, all sending a clear conservation message.\u201d <\/p>\n

In other categories, images are awarded more for their beauty and visual impact, which competition organizers, Fundaci\u00f3n DESEA<\/a>, say also contribute greatly to nature and wildlife conservation efforts. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that the best way to inspire the will to protect Nature is through its stunning beauty,\u201d the Nature and Humans Photo Competition explains. <\/p>\n

Photographers from 49 different countries and regions entered the contest, and Spanish nature photographer, Arturo de Fr\u00edas, directed the competition and jury. Alongside the category-winning images below, runners-up and finalists were also named across all the categories. All of the other awarded photos are available to view online<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Conservation Photography \u2014 Thematic Series <\/p>\n

Photographer human.cruelties, who self-describes as an animal rights investigator, won this category for their series, \u201cUncovering what\u2019s hidden.\u201d The photographer won a \u20ac1,500 cash prize. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Uncovering what\u2019s hidden\u2019 by human.cruelties \"Rows\u2018Uncovering what\u2019s hidden\u2019 by human.cruelties \"A\u2018Uncovering what\u2019s hidden\u2019 by human.cruelties \"A\u2018Uncovering what\u2019s hidden\u2019 by human.cruelties \"Several\u2018Uncovering what\u2019s hidden\u2019 by human.cruelties \"A\u2018Uncovering what\u2019s hidden\u2019 by human.cruelties \"A\u2018Uncovering what\u2019s hidden\u2019 by human.cruelties Conservation Photography \u2014 Single Image <\/p>\n

Photographer Francisco Negroni took the top spot in this category for the photo, \u201cScreaming in the wind.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Screaming in the wind\u2019 by Francisco Negroni Conservation Photography \u2014 Spain <\/p>\n

In this final category, important conservation photography works in Spain were celebrated. Javier Murcia took the top spot for \u201cI want my soda,\u201d a powerful shot that reflects the hazards of ocean pollution. <\/p>\n

\"An\u2018I want my soda\u2019 by Javier Murcia Nature Told by Women <\/p>\n

Photographer Louise Jorgensen\u2019s series, \u201cOut of Sight, Out of Mind,\u201d won first place. Jorgensen, like the other winners above, earned \u20ac1,500 for her victory. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Out of Sight, Out of Mind\u2019 by Louise Jorgensen \"Close-up\u2018Out of Sight, Out of Mind\u2019 by Louise Jorgensen \"A\u2018Out of Sight, Out of Mind\u2019 by Louise Jorgensen \"A\u2018Out of Sight, Out of Mind\u2019 by Louise Jorgensen \"A\u2018Out of Sight, Out of Mind\u2019 by Louise Jorgensen \"Several\u2018Out of Sight, Out of Mind\u2019 by Louise Jorgensen The Beauty of the Planet <\/p>\n

Daniel Valverde\u2019s photo, \u201cShaking Off While Eating,\u201d shows a grizzly bear shaking off a huge spray of water while holding a fish in its paw. Valverde received a \u20ac1,000 voucher for any of Wildwatching Spain\u2019s international photo tours. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Shaking Off While Eating\u2019 by Daniel Valverde The Beauty of Spain <\/p>\n

Valverde won this category, too, for his photo, \u201cPower Struggle.\u201d This earned the photographer another \u20ac500 voucher. <\/p>\n

\"Two\u2018Power Struggle\u2019 by Daniel Valverde Mammals <\/p>\n

Hira Punjabi\u2019s fantastic portrait of a bat, \u201cBat Bath,\u201d won the Mammals category. Punjabi won a Sony imaging kit valued at \u20ac1,700. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Bat Bath\u2019 by Hira Punjabi Birds <\/p>\n

Andrea Izzotti\u2019s fantastic shot, \u201cCormorhunt,\u201d earned the photographer a \u20ac500 voucher at Fotografiarte, one of Spain\u2019s leading photography retailers. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Cormorhunt\u2019 by Andrea Izzotti Oceans <\/p>\n

\u201cGhost of the Kelp Forest\u201d by Lesley Rochat won the photographer first prize in the Oceans category, plus an OM-5 Mark II kit with an OM System 12-45mm zoom lens. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Ghost of the Kelp Forest\u2019 by Lesley Rochat Other Animals <\/p>\n

Lalith Ekanayake\u2019s \u201cMaster of Disguise\u201d is an eye-catching shot of a very well-camouflaged gecko. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Master of Disguise\u2019 by Lalith Ekanayake Landscape <\/p>\n

Javier Herranz\u2019s stunning black-and-white landscape shot, \u201cFlysch,\u201d won top prize. <\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white\u2018Flysch\u2019 by Javier Herranz Creative <\/p>\n

\u201cWings of Ghost\u201d by photographer Lalith Ekanayake won the Creative category, where photographers battled it out with images captured using creative and experimental techniques. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Wings of Ghosts\u2019 by Lalith Ekanayake Youth <\/p>\n

Young photographer Jofre Cutal Gallifa won the \u201cYouth\u201d category with \u201cVergonya,\u201d a photo showing a monkey trying to open its cage. <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018Vergonya\u2019 by Jofre Cutal Gallifa Child <\/p>\n

An even younger photographer, Alberto Rom\u00e1n G\u00f3mez, won the child category with \u201cA break at 40\u00b0C.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A\u2018A Break at 40\u00b0C\u2019 by Alberto Rom\u00e1n G\u00f3mez Nature and Humans Photography Contest <\/p>\n

The fourth edition of the Nature and Humans Photo Competition is now open for entries until September 28, 2026. Complete entry details and rules are available on the contest\u2019s website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Image credits:<\/strong> Nature and Humans Photo Competition. Individual photographers are credited in the captions. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The winning photos from the third annual Nature and Humans Photo Competition reveal two very different but equally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1038783,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8],"tags":[933,1442,3928,48766,6179,729,286238,52289,70,16,15,1717],"class_list":["post-1038782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-animals","tag-competition","tag-conservation","tag-contest","tag-landscape","tag-nature","tag-natureandhumans","tag-photocontest","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wildlife"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116782434674405292","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1038782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1038783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1038782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1038782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1038782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}