Prix Pictet highlights changing Earth

 The shortlist for the second edition of the Prix Pictet has been announced, showcasing serious and thought-provoking photography about the state of our planet.

Conceived as a prize to highlight environmental photography, the Prix Pictet has quickly become one of the world’s most presitigious and lucrative photographic prizes.

The Prix Pictet is the world’s first prize dedicated to photography and sustainability. It has a unique mandate – to use the power of photography to communicate crucial messages to a global audience; and it has a unique goal – art of the highest order, applied to the immense social and environmental threats of the new millennium.

The projects and photographs who have made it onto this year’s shortlist – theme: Earth – were produced by photographers who have the time, vision and backing to express themselves. There are some extremely stark and arresting images.

The shortlisted artists are:

Darren Almond, UK; Christopher Anderson, Canada; Sammy Baloji, Congo; Edward Burtynsky, Canada; Andreas Gursky, Germany; Naoya Hatakeyama, Japan; Nadav Kander, UK; Ed Kashi, USA; Abbas Kowsari, Iran; Yao Lu, China; Edgar Martins, Portugal; Chris Steele-Perkins, UK.

The shortlisted works will be exhibited in London and Paris later this year before the overall winner is announced.

Photo: Nadav Kander via Ft.com