Pictures of the Year International

Finalist: Flight of the Monarchs

POY 81 Environmental Vision Award

This premier category recognizes a photographer’s long-term story, project, or essay that explores issues related to the environment, natural history, or science. This could include a facet of human impact on the natural world, scientific discovery, coverage of plant or animal habitat, climate concerns, or similar topics.Photographers provide all caption information at the time of entry.

First: Human Elephant Conflict - How Sri Lanka is facing a long war between two species

The Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) in Sri Lanka is an issue that affects both the living conditions of local communities and the lives of these animals, which are increasingly being killed by humans through gunshot wounds, electrocution, traps, and explosive devices.

Finalist: Guardians of the Glaciers

Ice constitutes the second largest source of freshwater on the planet and 70 percent of the world’s tropical glaciers are found in Peru. Located in Cusco, the Quelccaya Ice Cap is the largest tropical glacier in the world, covering an area equivalent to more than 9,000 soccer fields.

Finalist: Flight of the Monarchs

The annual migration of Monarch Butterflies is one of the most iconic wildlife spectacles in North America, full of dazzling natural history enigmas that have kept scientists busy for over 50 years.

Award of Excellence: A River with 3 Names

The Wolastoq (St John) River is a 600-kilometre-long body of water that runs the entire length of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, a microcosm of colonialism in Canada.

Award of Excellence: Red Skies, Green Waters

Venezuela’s oil industry, which helped transform the country’s fortunes, has been decimated by mismanagement and several years of U.S. sanctions imposed on the country’s authoritarian government, leaving behind a ravaged economy and a devastated environment.

Finalist: Flight of the Monarchs

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