Seeds of Resistance: Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay

1st place, Creative category and overall winner of photographer of the year ‘Seeds of Resistance is a body of work that pairs photographs of landscapes and territories in danger from mining and agriculture businesses with portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them. Nantu is an indigenous man from the Achuar Nation of Ecuador who leads a project of solar-powered river boats. Indigenous and traditional populations refuse to abandon their land, even when it has been completely destroyed.’

Pangolins in Crisis: Brent Stirton, South Africa

1st place, Natural world and wildlife ‘Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last 10 years. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine, and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and anyone who trades or consumes them is breaking the law. This body of work exposes the trade, while exploring aspects of illegality and celebrating the people who are trying to save these animals.’

Invisible Wounds: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham, UK

3rd place, Discovery category ‘A health worker at an emergency reception centre for patients suspected of infection with the Ebola virus in Beni, North Kivu. This project aims to capture the invisible wounds of an outbreak of Ebola in an active conflict zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hand-printed images were stained in the darkroom, signifying the unseen virus and trauma sweeping across the region and into the lives of communities.’

Ice Fishing Huts: Sandra Herber, Canada

1st place, Architecture category ‘Winters in Manitoba, Canada, are long and often bitterly cold. When the temperature drops, lakes and rivers in the province play host to some amazing folk architecture in the form of ice-fishing huts. These huts, shacks or permies (as they are called in Manitoba) must be transportable, protect their occupants from the elements and allow access to the ice below for fishing.’

Hanoi Bikes: Jon Enoch, UK

Shortlist, Portraiture ‘Delivery drivers on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, use their amazing balance skills to deliver goods to shops and vendors across the city. Some riders sell directly from their bikes. New legislation plans to ban motorbikes from the city by 2030 in a bid to improve air quality and reduce congestion.’

Immortality, Inc: Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy

1st place, Still life ‘A closeup of Alter. A small but growing number of scientists and intellectuals have posited that the most important challenge facing modern science is to overcome death and achieve the promise of eternal youth. Some believe that in the future, it will be possible to completely “download” our minds into humanoids similar to this one, and therefore, by overcoming the physical limits imposed by the human body, it will be possible to live forever.’

Senegalese Wrestlers: Angel Lopez Soto, Spain

1st place, Sport ‘Wrestling has become the No 1 national sport in Senegal and parts of the Gambia. It belongs to a larger West African form of traditional wrestling (known as Lutte Traditionnelle) and is more popular than football. The sport has become a means of social ascendance, making some athletes millionaires. These pictures show wrestlers training on a beach in Dakar.’

Cast Out of Heaven: Hashem Shakeri, Iran

2nd place, Discovery category ‘The current US sanctions against Iran, and the subsequent fall in the value of the Iranian currency, are causing house prices in the country to skyrocket. As a result, many Tehraners have been forced to leave the capital and move to satellite towns where accommodation is more affordable. The Mehr Housing Project, initiated in 2007, was the largest state-funded housing project in the history of Iran. What followed was rapid growth in urban population and the construction of new towns.’

Wounds of Hong Kong: Chung Ming Ko

1st place winner, Documentary ‘Protests in Hong Kong show no signs of abating after months of unrest. What began as an objection to the extradition bill has evolved into a wider protest regarding the future of the city. Due to clashes with police, protesters have suffered a range of injuries, with reports suggesting that since the demonstrations began cases of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have risen among the population.’

Baby Boom: Didier Bizet, France

2nd place, Documentary ‘A Reborn is a hyper-realistic doll that resembles a newborn baby. Many reborns have birthmarks, veins, hair, visible skin pores, and even saliva. Markets for these dolls range from reborn artists and collectors to hospitals and adoptive mothers and fathers. What motivates a person, or a couple, to “adopt” a reborn - the word “buy” is frowned upon in these circles - varies. For some, there is the attraction of caring for a baby that shares their physical features. For others, a reborn is an antidote to loneliness.’

Wahala: Robin Hinsch, Germany

1st place, Environment ‘A natural gas flaring site in Ughelli, Niger delta, Nigeria. The Niger delta was formed primarily by sediment deposition. It used to boast an incredibly rich ecosystem, containing one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, before the oil industry moved in. Gas flaring is a byproduct of oil extraction. As the gas burns it destroys crops, pollutes water and has a negative impact on human health.’

Shadows of Kurdistan: Murat Yazar, Turkey

Shortlist, Discovery A couple taking a boat tour in Lake Dukan in Iraq before their wedding celebration. ‘I was born in a Kurdish village in southeastern Turkey and, like millions of Kurds in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, I have encountered problems while trying to express my Kurdish identity. We live in our land like shadows, without colour, which is why I decided to call this project Shadows of Kurdistan. It was also important to me that the vibrancy of Kurdish culture shone through.’

Composite: Adalbert Mojrzisch, Germany

3rd Place, Natural world and wildlife ‘Most of my subjects are found dead on windowsills or in zoological gardens - in that sense you could say they are unremarkable. At first glance, the insects appear grey and dirty, but when viewed at high magnifications (usually between 5x and 80x) interesting structures and beautiful colours begin to emerge. Each image is a composite of between 200 and 600 individual pictures stacked and stitched together.’

Ukrainian Railroad Ladies: Sasha Maslov: Ukraine

3rd place, Portraiture ‘In this series I explore my childhood fascination with railroads and the fairytale houses that stand beside the tracks. As a photographer, I was drawn to the architecture and interiors of these buildings. About 80% of the workers are women. They spend long shifts in small dedicated buildings beside the tracks.’

Unsung Heroes: Denis Rouvre, France

2nd place, Portraiture ‘Unsung Heroes is a project about violence against women around the world. The women agreed to testify, their faces uncovered, in front of my camera. Some subjects had suffered violence linked to displacement following the wars in Syria and in Colombia, others had survived domestic abuse, or the use of collective rape as a weapon in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I wanted to show the suffering experienced by these women, but also their strength and resilience – in short, their ability to get up and fight again.’

Torii: Ronny Behnert, Germany

1st place, Landscape ‘Evidence of Shintoism and Buddhism - the most common religions in Japan - can be found in every corner of the country. Shrines and torii (traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines, marking the transition from mundane to sacred spaces) can be seen in the remotest of locations, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the highest mountains and the deepest forests.’