In its fifth year, the Environmental Photographer of the Year contest has once again dished up images of Earth that are as stunning as they are challenging.

But while the aim of the competition is to put the focus on the issues facing our planet, and many of these images show confronting weather extremes, the contest is a hopeful one, celebrating innovation and the efforts underway to repair past damage. This year, almost a quarter of the entrants were under 21, and the photographers spanned 159 nationalities.

Maurizio di Pietro/EPOTY23

Photographer Maurizio di Pietrosoldier won the grand prize with his shot of soldier flies (Hermetia illucens). Taken at the University of Turin in Italy, scientists are working on alternative food sources and using swarms of these insects to turn into flour.

Shafiul Islam/EPOTY23

Another winner, Shafiul Islam’s image of buffalo traversing bare grassland in search of food in drought-ridden Bangladesh dramatically captured the struggle faced by all walks of life in such extremes. Islam took out the top prize in the Keeping 1.5 Alive category.

Anirban Dutta/EPOTY23

The winner of the Adapting for the Future category, Anirban Dutta’s gorgeous image captures termites being picked off by a drongo bird in the light of a gasoline pump in West Bengal.

“There was one black drongo near thousands of termites,” said Dutta. “The whole thing last for only 15-20 minutes. After that all termites vanishes and the drongo disappears.”

Aniruddha Pal/EPOTY23

This captivating image snapped by Aniruddha Pal in West Bengal shows how an algae bloom can take over waterways that become stagnant at certain times each year, making it unfit for human consumption. However, its bacteria proves beneficial to many aquatic plants and organisms.

Head to our gallery to see the winners and highlights from the shortlisted images.

Source: EPOTY