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

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.

Valentin Goppel won the Student award for his project 'Between the Years'. Photo: Valentin Goppel

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.

Xiangyu Long's works will be showcased in a separate exhibition called The Lives of Others. Photo: Xiangyu Long

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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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