© Sara Lindström
Lindström, a professional based in Canada, triumphed over more than 10,000 entries to claim the £3,000 top prize with an image captured in Alberta.
Commenting on her winning shot, Lindström said: ‘It was an exceptionally warm day in July in southern Alberta when I came across this massive, pinkish smoke plume rising high towards the sky.
‘The big flames were thriving on the dry land and had me completely mesmerised in fear and awe.’
Meanwhile, the Changing Climate Award was presented to Sandra Hoyn for an image depicting discarded life vests used by refugees fleeing the Greek island of Lesbos for Turkey.
Life vests, inner tubes and rubber rafts on the north coast of the Greek island of Lesbos. The basic equipment that thousands of refugees have used to cross to Greece from Turkey © Sandra Hoyn
The competition was set up in 2007 by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), whose chief executive Terry Fuller said of Hoyn’s image (above): ‘This image depicts the major humanitarian crises of our time, [with] each of the life vests representing a refugee and their journey.’
The Young Environmental Photographer of the Year title was awarded to Luke Massey, while the Film of the Year prize went to Sergiu Jiduc for a piece about the effects of surging glaciers.
© Luke Massey
Indian photojournalist SL Kumar Shanth picked up the Built Environment Award for an image depicting the damage wrought by man-made and natural forces on the coastline of Chennai in India.
© SL Kumar Shanth
The winning works are due to go on display at the Royal Geographical Society in London from 29 June to 19 August.
Launched in 2007 Environmental Photographer of the Year is open to amateurs and professionals and aims to inspire viewers to ‘think differently about contemporary social and environmental issues, including sustainable development, pollution and human rights’.
© Pedram Yazdani
