The winning portfolio pairs photographs of landscapes and territories in danger from mining and agribusinesses with portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them. In the photographs, the main characters are seen from above, as though they are laying down their lives for their territory.

“This year’s winner comes from the Creative category and is a brilliant set of images which offers a powerful visual record of how deforestation goes hand in hand with the destruction of communities and peoples,” said judging chair, Mike Trow.

Also announced are the ten category winners of the Professional competition alongside 2nd and 3rd place as well as overall winners of the Open, Student and Youth competitions. Top wildlife/documentary photographer and sometime AP contributor, Brent Stirton, won the Natural World and Wildlife category for his series Pangolins in Crisis, while Chung Ming Ko won the Documentary category for his series Wounds of Hong Kong. British photographer Jonathan Walland, meanwhile, came second in the Architecture category.

Enjoy some the winning images below and see the full list of winners and their galleries here.

An image from Pablo Albarenga’s winning portfolio – a worthy overall winner.

An image from Brent Stirton’s winning portfolio (Natural World and Wildlife)

The Category Winner, Professional competition, Landscape.
By Ronny Behnert

Tom Oldham, United Kingdom, Open Photographer of the Year, Portraits

Sandra Herber, Canada, Category Winner,
Professional competition, Architecture.

Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy, Category Winner, Professional competition, Still Life

Chung Ming Ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary

Hsien-Pang Hsieh, Taiwan, Youth Photographer of the Year, Youth competition, Street photography