CNN, Rolex and World Nature Photography Awards: Inspiring Sustainability through Stunning Images

The CNN Call to Earth series, in partnership with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative, aims to raise awareness and educate people about sustainability issues. The goal is to inspire positive action to address the environmental challenges facing our planet.

Recently, a photo of two gannets fighting for a fish in Scotland’s Shetland Islands won first prize at the World Nature Photography Awards. The image was taken by Tracey Lund from the United Kingdom while on holiday using a DSLR camera in waterproof housing from a boat. Thousands of gannets diving into the sea to catch fish made for a remarkable sight, according to Lund, who took 1,800 photos that day but only two were usable. Other categories included animal portraits, plants, fungi, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and mammal behavior.

Ivan Pedretti from Italy won the Planet Earth’s landscapes and environments category with a stunning photo of winter in Stokksnes, Iceland. The image captured the contrast between the white mountains and black dunes with yellow grass, creating a magical scene.

The World Nature Photography Awards were launched in 2020 to promote photography and support environmental causes by planting a tree for each entry. Co-founder Adrian Dinsdale expressed joy at the high caliber of entries in the awards and believes that photography can influence people to see the world differently and change their habits for the planet’s good.