Unseen Beauty: Capturing Sustainability Through Photography and Partnerships

Call to Earth, a CNN editorial series dedicated to environmental challenges and solutions, has partnered with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative to raise awareness and educate the public on sustainability issues. Meanwhile, in the realm of photography, Tracey Lund from the UK has won first prize at the World Nature Photography Awards for a stunning image of gannets fighting for a fish in the waters near Scotland’s Shetland Islands.

Lund captured this remarkable shot from a boat using a DSLR camera in waterproof housing while on holiday. The photograph was selected from numerous submissions and received a $1,000 prize. Lund described the scene as an unbelievable spectacle, with thousands of gannets diving into the sea after locally caught fish. She took 1,800 images but only had two that she could use.

The World Nature Photography Awards feature categories such as animal portraits, plants and fungi, invertebrate, amphibian, and reptile behavior. In addition to these categories, there is also one dedicated to Planet Earth’s landscapes and environments. Ivan Pedretti of Italy won this category with a magical photo of winter in Stokksnes, Iceland. He shared his appreciation for the contrast of colors in the landscape and how it inspired him to capture this stunning image.

The WNPAs were launched in 2020 with the aim of promoting photography and contributing to environmental causes by planting a tree for each entry into the competition. Co-founder Adrian Dinsdale commended the 2024 winners, stating that their work never fails to take our breath away with their remarkable caliber of entries into the awards. According to Dinsdale, photography can influence people to see the world differently and change their habits for the benefit of