Focus. On Climate Action.

The 2025 IKI photo contest

Illustration for the 2025 IKI photo contest with the slogan "Focus. On Climate Action." Two people are taking photos of climate-friendly elements, including a wind turbine, solar panel, and plants. The image promotes the International Climate Initiative (IKI) photo contest.

And the winners are …

Showcasing the beauty, diversity and impact of IKI projects, our photo contest brings powerful stories to life. Explore the winning images – the three selected by our expert jury and the audience favourite honoured with the IKI Public Choice Award.

1st place: Participants of the seagrass and mangrove monitoring training

Photography: Wildlife Conservation Society, Papua New Guinea

Blue Carbon Guardians: local community trainees in Papua New Guinea learned to monitor seagrass meadows and mangrove forests.

As they store carbon, protect coastlines from erosion, and provide habitat for marine life, these ecosystems are essential for livelihoods in the Pacific. Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the project equips participants with practical monitoring skills and strengthens locally appointed management committees. By assessing these ecosystems, it helps communities conserve biodiversity, maintain vital ecosystem services, and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

2nd place: Native amazonian bee Melipona eburnea collecting resins and seeds

Photographer: Edgard Leonardo Davila Panduro

Small insects with a big role: pollinators are crucial for plant reproduction, food security and the conservation of ecosystems and their biodiversity.

This project, funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI), aims to protect natural ecosystems and adapt agricultural systems to safeguard pollinators. It promotes pollinator-friendly farming practices, strengthens regional knowledge management, and supports policies that conserve these vital insects. These measures help reduce the vulnerability of local communities to crop losses and declining ecosystem services caused by pollinator decline.

3rd place: Silicon sea

Photographer: Ayan Villafuerte

The panels of an 80 MW solar farm in Baras, Rizal, Philippines stretch across the landscape, dwarfing a lone vehicle and highlighting the vast scale of clean energy.

Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the  project promotes ambitious climate goals and the energy transition in Southeast Asia. It works with local stakeholders to develop evidence-based solutions, strengthen coordination in the energy sector, and provide technical and political assistance. Contributing to Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP), it fosters knowledge exchange and regional collaboration to help partner countries reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Portrait Philipp Behrens
Each of the award-winning photos tells a story of courage, commitment and hope. The topics range from renewable energies in emerging countries to the protection of entire ecosystems. The photos show how diverse, committed and determined the people working on the projects are. In the face of climate change, these photos are a sign of hope.
Philipp Behrens, Head of International Climate Initiative Division, BMWE

IKI Public Choice Award: Planting the future with a smile

Photographer: Ho Ngoc Anh Tuan

Inclusive participation and gender equality in climate action: female planters hold high-quality native seedlings, restoring degraded dunes and mangroves on Viet Nam’s northern central coast.

With this project, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) demonstrates ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), combining biodiversity conservation with sustainable livelihoods. The project restores dunes and mangrove forests, strengthening the resilience of local communities against storms, erosion, and climate change. It also promotes long-term care and sustainable use of the restored ecosystems.

Portrait James Hardcastle
The winning images together create a perfect set that shows the breadth and depth of the IKI: people in action, pure biodiversity, and technology-driven, scaled-up solutions for climate action.
James Hardcastle, Head of Protected and Conserved Areas, IUCN

Notable entries that will also be featured in the new IKI photo exhibition

Picked with pride. Grown with purpose.

A farmer carefully hand-picks ripe coffee cherries amid lush agroforestry-grown coffee trees.

Wa kuk Wa jimor - canoes bring people together

Marshallese islanders revive their indigenous boat-building knowledge to provide their communities with sustainable and affordable watercraft, free of fossil fuels.

When the reef turns dark

While outplanting corals and monitoring restoration in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, the ocean suddenly darkens over the divers under massive waves of sargassum, a surreal reminder of climate change and the direct pressures on Caribbean ecosystems.

Using NbS for springshed management

Sonam Zangmo from Paro in Bhutan demonstrates how bamboo, charcoal, and pebble filters work. Marigolds are planted to repel insects and help protect water quality.

New life on abandoned land

From black, scarred landscapes to green fields: in Quang Ninh Province in northern Viet Nam, sweet sorghum now grows where once coal was extracted.

Rice-fish farming on marginal land (peat)

Environmentally friendly rice cultivation on peatlands using organic fertilizers and lime to manage soil and water acidity.

Environmental education for reforestation

Joyful and committed, students of an Environmental Club joined a reforestation activity in Ti Plaine, Haiti, on the International Day for the Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystems. By planting young trees at the heart of the watershed, they contribute to a stronger and more resilient coastline.

Women involved in the octopus fishery in Kenya

A female diver from the Bamburi Beach Management Unit in Kenya is trying to catch an octopus. She promotes sustainable fishing practices to protect the octopus population, associated ecosystems, and future livelihoods, while encouraging other women to diversify their roles in the fishery to support their families and communities.

Meet the Jury!

Alongside the public vote, a jury of experts in IKI, climate and biodiversity action, as well as photography, evaluated the shortlisted entries. Their combined expertise ensured that both artistic quality and the thematic relevance to IKI projects were reflected in the final selection.

Rana Adib

Portrait Rana Adib

Executive Director of Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century 

Musonda Mumba

Portrait of Musonda Mumba

Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands

Elke Steinmetz

Portrait Elke Steinmetz

Head of International Cooperation on Biodiversity Division, BMUKN

James Hardcastle

Portrait James Hardcastle

Head of Protected and Conserved Areas, IUCN

Philipp Behrens

Portrait Philipp Behrens

Head of International Climate Initiative Division, BMWE

Michael Hellstern-Busemann

Head of Communication Climate Action & AI, Zukunft-Umwelt-Gesellschaft

Toni Kretschmer

Portrait Toni Kretschmer

Photographer at newpic.eu
 

Anne Vanselow

Portrait Anne Vanselow

Acting Head of International Climate Initiative Divison, AA

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