YKAN’s affiliate, The Nature Conservancy, is pleased to share the top images selected by our judges for the 2022 Photo Contest! Check below to see the images that amazed us the most.
Grand Prize Winner
Li Ping, China
Guest Judge Ami Vitale’s Winner
Shafeeq Mulla, Zambia
@Shafeeq_mulla
“The diversity of images from around the world gave a glimpse into our fragile planet and all the life that inhabits it. The contest itself was a mesmerizing odyssey and we are left with a profound message of how interconnected all of us are and what it means to our own survival to intermingle with wildness.”
—Ami Vitale, Guest Judge
Celebrity Judge Coyote Peterson’s Winner
Florian Ledoux, Norway
@florian_ledoux_photographer
“The composition of this photo and its color balance is absolutely beautiful. The eye is drawn to these elements first and then you realize the center point is the mother polar bear and her cubs. The abandonment of the Russian settlement is a powerful statement that nature can and hopefully will reclaim its rightful place and despite the mess we leave behind life finds a way. For an animal like the polar bear, which is physically running out of space for existence due to constantly melting sea ice, the bravery it shows for a mother to find a place of refuge for her cubs is a heartwarming scene amongst the frigid feel this entire vision portrays.”
—Coyote Peterson, Celebrity Judge
First Place, Landscape
Francisco Javier Munuera González, Spain
Second Place, Landscape
Hendy Wicaksono, Indonesia
@hendyfight
Honorable Mention, Landscape
Ivan Pedretti, Italy
@ivanpedretti
Honorable Mention, Landscape
Waluya Priya Atmaja, Indonesia
@priy_at
Honorable Mention, Landscape
Effy Varley, United Kingdom
@effyimages
First Place, People and Nature
Janusz Jurek, Poland
@januszjurek.info
Second Place, People and Nature
Komang Arnawa, Indonesia
@nyengen.dadi
Honorable Mention, People and Nature
Francesca Franchini, Mexico
@trip_in_mexico
Honorable Mention, People and Nature
Giovani Cordioli, Brazil
@giovanicordioli
Honorable Mention, People and Nature
Amish Jain, India
Honorable Mention, People and Nature
Marvin Mwarangu, Kenya
@riothephotographer
Honorable Mention, People and Nature
Marcelo Paulo Silva, Brazil
@marcelomania
First Place, Climate
Sandesh Kadur, India
@sandesh_kadur
Second Place, Climate
Amish Jain, India
Honorable Mention, Climate
Jassen Todorov, United States
@jassensf
Honorable Mention, Climate
Ziaul Huque, Bangladesh
Honorable Mention, Climate
Marcelo Perez del Carpio, Bolivia
@marceloperezdelcarpio
Honorable Mention, Climate
Jassen Todorov, United States
@jassensf
Honorable Mention, Climate
Florian Ledoux, Norway
@florian_ledoux_photographer
First Place, Water
Kristin Wright, United States
@kristinbraga
Second Place, Water
Nick Leopold Sordo, Mexico
@nickleopoldsordo
Honorable Mention, Water
Dasun Nirmala Malaarachchi, Australia
@dasunnirmala
Honorable Mention, Water
Tom Shlesinger, Israel
@tom_shlesinger
Honorable Mention, Water
Tom Fenske, United States
@Tom_Fenske
First Place, Plants and Fungi
Callie Chee, Australia
@CallieCheePhotography
Second Place, Plants and Fungi
Xiaoling Keller, United States
@xiaolingkeller
Honorable Mention, Plants and Fungi
Tibor Litauszki, Hungary
@tiborlitauszki_naturphtgrphy
Honorable Mention, Plants and Fungi
Patrick Krohn, United States
@oneeyeddogstudios
Honorable Mention, Plants and Fungi
Jake Virus, United States
@Jake_Virus
Honorable Mention, Plants and Fungi
Cristiano Xavier, Brazil
@cristianoxavier01
Honorable Mention, Plants and Fungi
Cristiano Xavier, Brazil
@cristianoxavier01
First Place, Wildlife
Anup Shah, United Kingdom
Second Place, Wildlife
Panos Laskarakis, Greece
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Tibor Litauszki, Hungary
@tiborlitauszki_naturphtgrphy
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Baiju Patil, India
@baiju_patil
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Torie Hilley, United States
@torie_hilley_fineart
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Rick Dowling, United States
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Masahiro Hiroike, Japan
@masahirohiroike
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Tibor Litauszki, Hungary
@tiborlitauszki_naturphtgrphy
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Fabio Saltarelli, Argentina
@fabiosaltarelli_ph
Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Jenny Zhao, United States
@rogerandjennyphotography
Sign Up for Email Updates
Sign up to receive regular email updates about our work, including our newsletter!