Thomas Peschak wins the 2025 Eliza Scidmore Prize, his photos are all crazy

From science to photography

Thomas Peschak was originally a marine biologist. But he quickly understood that photos could sometimes be more effective than a study in making things happen. Result : an impressive career with 18 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition wins and 7 World Press Photo awards. Last year, he also won the prize for best wildlife photojournalist 2024. Not bad for someone who basically just wanted to share his love of the oceans.

Amazon, oceans and biodiversity

Recently, Peschak spent 396 days in the Amazon basin on an expedition organized with National Geographic and Rolex. He explored everything, from the glaciers of the Andes to the Atlantic, to capture never-before-seen images of this exceptional environment, while highlighting the threats it faces: overfishing, pollution, deforestation… This mission gave birth to a special issue of the magazine devoted solely to the Amazon.

But his work doesn't stop there. Peschak has photographed 20 articles for National Geographic, covering topics such as sea turtles, climate change in Antarctica and seabird crises. Its project in Peru, for example, compared archive photos from 100 years ago with current ones to show the dramatic impact of the disappearance of 230 million seabirds in six decades.

A long-term commitment

In addition to his photo work, Peschak has written eight books, including Wild Seas, which celebrates the beauty of wild coasts, and Sharks and People, which explores the relationship between humans and sharks. He is also director of storytelling for the Save Our Seas Foundation and co-founder of the Manta Trust. In short, it is everywhere where marine life needs to be defended.

For Peschak, beautiful images are not enough: we must show reality, however brutal it may be. And above all, highlight the people who fight every day to protect these ecosystems. I photograph the places I love to help save themhe said. A clear objective, and visibly effective.

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