Winning images from the 2022 World Report Award document rapid global change

Names were chosen from 80 photographers as part of the Festival of Ethical Photography

Brazilian photographer Felipe Fittipaldi won in the Master category of the Festival of Ethical Photography's World Report Award. Photo: Felipe Fittipaldi

Through his series 'Eustasy', Felipe Fittipaldi documents the relationship between community and the environment in Atafona, Brazil. Photo: Felipe Fittipaldi

Atafona, north of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, is where some of the most significant examples of coastal erosion can be found. Photo: Felipe Fittipaldi

Exacerbated by climate change, the sea has already submerged more than 500 houses, turning the once idyllic coastline into an underwater graveyard of wrecked structures. Photo: Felipe Fittipaldi

Short Story Award Winner Isabella Franceschini was recognised for her series 'Becoming a Citizen'. Photo: Isabella Franceschini

Through her series, Franceschini follows the life of Michelle Lamieri, who, at only 15, is one of the youngest mayors in Italy. Photo: Isabella Franceschini

Michelle photographed by Short Story winner Isabella Franceschini. Photo: Isabella Franceschini

More than 20 public exhibitions will be held at the festival, with the World Report Award as one the main highlights. Photo: Isabella Franceschini

Julia Gunther has won a special mention in the Single Shot category for this photo. Photo: Julia Gunther

Spotlight winner Line Ornes Sondergaard's series is called 'The Split - A Brexit Love Story'. Photo: Line Ornes Sondergaard

In the series, Sondergaard follows the relationship between a Lithuanian woman and an English man before and after the referendum. Photo: Line Ornes Sondergaard

Through his project, Sondergaard attempts to understand the effects on people of the UK's decision to leave the European Union. Photo: Line Ornes Sondergaard

'This is a story about opening borders and closing minds, about class and identity, solidarity and distrust,' the Festival of Ethical Photography says. Photo: Line Ornes Sondergaard

The Student category is won by Valentin Goppel, for his project 'Between the Years', about the impact of lockdown during the pandemic on the student generation in Germany. Photo: Valentin Goppel

Through his project, Goppel documents his friends and acquaintances during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, starkly showcasing a world in flux. Photo: Valentin Goppel

Student Award Winner Valentin Goppel's photo for his project 'Between the Years', about the impact of lockdown during the pandemic on his student generation in Germany. Photo: Valentin Goppel

Students in a class in Goppel's series 'Between the Years'. Photo: Valentin Goppel

'The Lives of Others', a separate exhibition at the Festival of Ethical Photography, will feature works by six others, including Canadian photographer Barbara Davidson. Photo: Barbara Davidson

Davidson's series, 'Valeries and Henry: Unhoused but Unbroken', focuses on two of Los Angeles’s 65,000 homeless people, from their marriage to being removed from the park in which they lived. Photo: Barbara Davidson

Davidson's project documents the couple from their new life in a van to their return to street life. Photo: Barbara Davidson

Italian photographer Erika Pezzoli's series 'Artemis' follows a female hunter, Carola. Photo: Erika Pezzoli

Pezzoli's subject Carola is part of the 2 per cent of female hunters in Valle d 'Aosta, an autonomous region in Italy. Photo: Erika Pezzoli

A photo by Erika Pezzoli in her series 'Artemis'. Photo: Erika Pezzoli

Russian photographer Misha Maslennikov documents life in the Russian steppes or grassland in her series 'The Don Steppe'. Photo: Misha Maslennikov

Steppes are vast semi-arid grasslands. Photo: Misha Maslennikov

A photo by Misha Maslennikov in her series 'The Don Steppe'. Photo: Misha Maslennikov

Through his series 'Donna', French photographer Thomas Morel-Fort captures the lives of undocumented Filipino workers in Paris and Cote d'Azur. Photo: Thomas Morel-Fort

Living a life of sacrifice, many of Thomas Morel-Fort's subjects work in wealthy homes in France. Photo: Thomas Morel-Fort

A photo by Thomas Morel-Fort in his series 'Donna'. Photo: Thomas Morel-Fort

In his series 'In The World But Not Of It', Tim Smith documents the lives of Hutterites whose 16th-century culture is preserved through self-sufficiency. Photo: Tim Smith

Hutterites are Anabaptists, who follow a form of radical Christian belief system, and isolate themselves from the larger society. Photo: Tim Smith

Today, most of the Hutterites can be found in Canada and northern US. Photo: Tim Smith

Chinese photographer Xiangyu Long documents the life of a Tibetan yak herder who became an overnight celebrity through TikTok, in 'TikTok in Kham'. Photo: Xiangyu Long

A shot from Xiangyu Long's 'TikTok in Kham'. Photo: Xiangyu Long

Five photographers have been named winners of the annual World Report Award, a competition that aims to document and raise awareness about the effects of fast-paced changes taking place globally.

Scroll through the gallery above to see the winning images from the 2022 World Report Award

The Festival of Ethical Photography, which organises the award and is now in its 13th year, will showcase the winning images as part of an event being held from September 24 to October 23 in Lodi, a city in Lombardy, northern Italy.

More than 20 public exhibitions will be held at the festival, with the World Report Award being the highlight.

The festival was founded with the intention of focusing on ethical photographic content of great relevance from around the world, which shines a light on social issues.

Brazilian photographer Felipe Fittipaldi won in the Master category with his series Eustasy. Through striking images, Fittipaldi documents rising waters in the town of Atafona, north of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where some of the most significant examples of coastal erosion can be found. Exacerbated by climate change, the sea has already submerged more than 500 houses, turning the once idyllic coastline into an underwater graveyard of wrecked structures.

Winner of the Spotlight category was Norwegian photographer Line Ornes Sondergaard. His series, The Split — A Brexit Love Story, attempts to understand the effects the UK's decision to leave the European Union has had on the people by following the relationship between a Lithuanian woman and an English man before and after the referendum.

"This is a story about opening borders and closing minds, about class and identity, solidarity and distrust. And about love, loss and the need to belong," reads a description on the festival's website.

American photographer Tom Fox won the Single Shot category, with a special mention for Germany's Julia Gunther.

The Short Story category was won by Italian photographer Isabella Franceschini. Through her series, Becoming a Citizen, Franceschini follows the life of Michelle Lamieri, who, at only 15, is one of the youngest mayors in Italy.

Valentin Goppel from Germany won in the Student category with the series Between the Years. Through his project, Goppel documents his friends and acquaintances during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, starkly showcasing a world in flux.

The coming event will have the Festival of Ethical Photography return to an in-person format for the first time since 2020's event was moved online owing to the pandemic.

Besides the World Report Award, other exhibitions will include A Look at the World, created in collaboration with Agence-France Presse photojournalists, who will showcase works from and talk about some of the biggest international issues such as the war in Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan one year after the Taliban took back power.

Vital Impacts will host a group of photographers from National Geographic magazine, led by award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker Ami Vitale.

A full schedule can be found at festivaldellafotografiaetica.it

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