Vote for the Greenpeace Photo Award winner

With €10,000 up for grabs to realise a project, the Greenpeace Photo Award is a great opportunity – and this year, the public decides who wins. Run with support from Geo Magazine, an awards jury has shortlisted seven photographers to choose from, each from a different country and each working on a series with an environmental theme.

The public has until 31 October to vote on the winner; a further €10,000 will go to a second winner selected by the jury, which this year includes curator and lecturer Lars Willumeit, and Geo Magazine chief photo editor Lars Lindemann.

The shortlisted photographers are: Niels Ackermann (Switzerland); Magda Biernat (USA); Arko Datto (India); Niklas Grapatin (Germany); Katrin Koenning (Australia); Pablo Piovano (Argentina); and Ian Willms (Canada).

From Where Do We Go When the Final Wave Hits? © Arko Datto

Niels Ackermann has been selected for Black Snow. Is There a Life After Coal Mining? which explores a conflict-ridden part of the Ukraine, close to the Russian border, in which coal mines are now closing; Magda Biernat has been nominated for Uprooted, Physical Dilemma of Relocation, which considers displacement caused by climate change in and around the US.

Arko Datto has been selected for Where Do We Go When the Final Wave Hits? which looks at the psychological effects of the ever-present risk of flood in the Ganges delta. Niklas Grapatin has been selected for Kiwis in the Mountains, which looks at the motivations of those who hope to move off grid and closer to nature.

Katrin Koenning has been nominated for Swell, which tries to offer new visions of the ways in which unique Australian ecosystems are threatened by economic growth. Pablo Piovano won his place on the shortlist with Patagonia, Territory in Conflict, which looks at the threats and persecution indigenous people in this region face when they take a stand against the exploitation of their land. Ian Willms has been nominated for As Long as the Sun Shines, a series which looks at oil sands exploitation in Canada, and its effect on the country’s culture, environment, and economy.

Voting is open until 31 October at www.photo-award.org

From Kiwis in the Mountains © Niklas Granpatin

From Swell © Katrin Koenning

The Syncrude Oil Sands upgrader, located 14 kilometres from the Fort McKay First Nation reserve. The Tar Sands is one of the largest sources of air pollution in North America, often exceeding the total emissions from Canada’s biggest city, according to a 2016 study by federal scientists. From As Long as the Sun Shines © Ian Willms