The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently revealed the winners of its 2025 “Environment & Me” photography competition, with nearly 1,800 entries from 36 countries. The top images from Türkiye, Sweden, and Spain highlight both the vulnerability and resilience of Europe’s natural and human landscapes amid climate change.
Capturing Europe’s changing environment
Initiated in March 2025, the EEA’s “Environment & Me” competition invited photographers across Europe and partner nations to express their personal ties to the environment, whether through experience, protection, or impacts in daily life. The initiative garnered nearly 1,800 entries from 36 countries, narrowed to 42 finalists and four winners.
Spain and Italy accounted for almost one-third of submissions, followed by Türkiye, Germany, and Portugal, demonstrating strong public involvement in southern and central Europe. The contest comprised three categories — BLUE (Water & Me), GREEN (Nature & Me), and ORANGE (Everyday Life & Me) — plus a Public Choice Award. The Youth Prize was not awarded this year due to eligibility issues.
Winners reveal human and natural resilience
BLUE – Water & Me
Winner: Ola Karlsson (Sweden) – “Bridge over troubled water.” An aerial shot of people walking over thinning sea ice in Bjärred, Sweden, highlights climate change’s effects on traditionally stable northern landscapes.
GREEN – Nature & Me
Winner: Pepe Badia Marrero (Spain) – “King of hearts.” In the Anella Verda de Terrassa, a grasshopper rests among heart-shaped leaves, capturing nature’s quiet beauty and the fragile ecosystems sustaining it, paying homage to biodiversity in one of Europe’s most urbanised areas.
ORANGE – Everyday Life & Me
Winner: Kristýna Koubková (Czech Republic) – “Work commitment.” A donkey and its owners work in the arid fields of Teguise, Spain, under the sun. The image speaks of endurance, cooperation, and the quest for sustainability amid changing climates.
Public Choice Award
Winner: Fatih Yilmaz (Türkiye) – “Flapping its wings against drought.” Voted by Europeans, this aerial shot of Burdur Lake shows a dramatic contrast: cracked, dry land beside turquoise water, dotted with birds, portraying the region’s beauty and its drought vulnerability.
A lens on Europe’s environmental story
The winning photographs not only hold artistic value but collectively reflect Europe’s environmental journey — from melting ice and drying lakes to life and labor under duress. They remind citizens and policymakers of the tangible shifts affecting Europe’s ecosystems and livelihoods.
According to the European Environment Agency, the competition serves as a key outreach activity, aiming to turn environmental awareness into visual storytelling. The images will feature in EEA publications and campaigns throughout the year, aiding its mission to communicate intricate environmental issues from a human perspective.
From awareness to engagement
The contest’s achievement — in participation and thematic diversity — indicates a rising European awareness of environmental challenges. As climate change speeds up and biodiversity loss intensifies, visual storytelling bridges the gap between data and empathy, motivating collective action.
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