Environment 3rd Place

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the desertification brought by climate change in recent years has already extensively reduced agricultural productivity in many regions of the world. Agriculture represents 70% of freshwater use around the globe and with the world’s population projected to increase to 10 billion by the end of the century, it has become imperative to find alternative and ecologically sustainable methods of cultivation. Nemo’s Garden – the world’s first underwater greenhouse – offers a possible solution. This completely self-sustainable project explores an alternative farming system that could be implemented in areas where environmental or geo-morphological conditions make the growth of plants almost impossible. The encouraging results of the last few years, where more than 40 different species of plants have been successfully cultivated, gives hope that a sustainable agricultural system has been developed to help tackle the new challenges brought by climate change.

Giacomo d'Orlando is an Italian documentary photographer who divides his time between Southeast Asia and Italy. After working for four years as a commercial photographer for an advertising studio in his hometown Verona, he left Italy in 2015 to start his career as a photojournalist, pursuing personal projects and collaborating with NGOs and Foundations. Committed to exploring the relationship between human being and the environment, his work looks at how the increasing pressures of climate change and human impact are reshaping the planet, and how today's society is responding to the new challenges that will shape our future. He also focuses on scientific and technological research and environmental conservation, with the aim of raising awareness of the priority of restoring and preserving our ecosystems for future generations. With a special passion for the marine environment and its biodiversity, he is also an experienced underwater photographer with current Padi Rescue Diver certification and Ocean Reef Ambassador. Throughout his career, he has worked with numerous international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, BBC, The Guardian, Nature, Stern, Der Spiegel, Greenpeace Magazine, Mare Magazine, El Pais, GEO, Paris Match, Courrier International, De Volkskrant, Aftenposten Innsikt, Australian Geographic, Oceanographic Magazine, Rhythms Monthly, FQ Millennium and others. His project have been exhibited worldwide both in photographic festivals and galleries, receiving in addition prestigious awards in many competitions such as Picture Of the Year International, Sony World Photography Award, Istanbul Photo Awards, Stenin International Press Photo Contest, BarTur Award for Climate Change, UN World Ocean Day Award, Gomma Grant, Visura Grant, EJF Environmental Grant and IPF Photographer of the year among the others. In 2023, together with two other colleagues, Alfredo Bosco and Karl Mancini he founded Ronin, a platform centered in photography, but which also aims to promote the dissemination of important topics through other different tools and spaces such as social live, podcasts, events and meetings.