Apply before July 23, 2023!
Mangrove Action Project has launched their ninth annual Mangrove Photography Awards. The competition invites photographers of all levels around the world to contribute their images to highlight the beauty and fragility of mangrove ecosystems and inspire conservation action to protect them.
Mangroves are one of the world’s most important ecosystems, and one of the most threatened. Today, less than half the world’s original mangrove forest cover remains, making the Mangrove Photography Awards a crucial platform to “intrigue people about the magnificent ecological role mangroves play in all of our lives", according to awards ambassador Dhritiman Mukherjee.
There are six categories that appeal to a range of interests and approaches, including a photojournalism multiple image category, allowing the photographer to tell important mangrove stories. This year’s competition will be judged by conservation photographers Octavio Aburto, Daisy Gilardini and Daniel Kordan.
Last year’s competition received over 2000 entries from 68 countries. You can view the winners here. All entries will be celebrated as an online mangrove exhibition on 26th July, World Mangrove Day. The overall winner will be crowned the Mangrove Photographer of the Year, with winners announced for each of the categories, as well as this year’s Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year, in September 2023.
There is Hope in the Trash – Highly Commended - Brazil
A local fisherman, Paulo Silva, collects waste from the mangroves in the Bay of Guanabara. NGO Guardians of the Sea have helped to clean up over 11 tons of garbage in these coastal forests.
Mekong Changes – Highly Commended - Vietnam
Remnants of mangroves remain along the shores of Bac Lieu, having been replaced by shrimp farms and wind power turbines.
Destruction of Mangroves – Runner Up – India
An area Katta Devi used to visit and photograph for its beauty, is now making way for rapidly expanding developments including aquaculture. “Deforestation is a huge problem in the mangroves. I saw a tiny bulldozer among the thousands of acres of forest being destroyed in the Godavari mangroves for the rapidly expanding aquaculture.”
The Fisherman - Highly Commended - Malaysia.
A local fisherman casting his net in the mangroves after sunrise.
More information on the free competition can be found on the website. Follow the initiative on Instagram and Facebook
About the Mangrove Action Project
The Mangrove Action Project (MAP) is a US-registered 501 c (3), which has advocated for the conservation and restoration of global mangrove forests since 1992. MAP personnel, now based on several continents, have conducted mangrove workshops in more than 20 countries, teaching best practices for mangrove conservation, restoration, and education. MAP works with a variety of mangrove stakeholders, including coastal communities, NGOs, scientists, and governments to improve mangrove practices globally. More information on MAP can be found at www.mangroveactionproject.org.
About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.