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Winners of “Walk of Water: Identities” | UNESCO & Onewater.

Documentary photography project submitted to the Walk of Water global photo contest by UNESCO and Onewater.
The international photography contest Walk of Water, organized by UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme in partnership with the Onewater initiative, has announced the winners of its latest edition. Bringing together photographers from across the globe, the project has emerged as a significant visual platform exploring the relationship between water and human identity.

The competition attracted 796 photographers from 114 countries, who submitted 968 photo series and more than 8,300 images. The theme Identity served as a visual prelude to the UN World Water Day 2026, dedicated to the interconnection between water and gender.

The Global Winner is photographer Kristina Steiner, awarded First Prize for her documentary story on the last shrimp fishers working in the coastal waters of Belgium. The Youth Award was granted to Gaston Silberman for his project documenting the Kotsuña people and the disappearance of one of Bolivia’s largest lakes.

Regional winners included projects focusing on ecosystem protection, the lives of coastal communities, and the role of water in everyday culture – spanning regions from the Philippines and Indonesia to Africa and Latin America. The selected works address the rescue of endangered species, the impact of drought, and the preservation of traditions at risk of extinction.

Belgium | Kristina Steiner. Stefaan rides his horse Dina while shrimp fishing in the shallow waters of the North Sea, a centuries-old coastal tradition now at risk of disappearing.
Belgium | Kristina Steiner. Stefaan rides his horse Dina while shrimp fishing in the shallow waters of the North Sea, a centuries-old coastal tradition now at risk of disappearing.
Brazil | Ricardo Funari Di Lucia. Francisca Chagas takes a short break on the flooded veranda of her home between daily household tasks.
Brazil | Ricardo Funari Di Lucia. Francisca Chagas takes a short break on the flooded veranda of her home between daily household tasks.
Iran | Solmaz Daryani The hands of the photographer’s grandmother during a ritual bath in the hypersaline waters of what remains of Lake Urmia
Iran | Solmaz Daryani The hands of the photographer’s grandmother during a ritual bath in the hypersaline waters of what remains of Lake Urmia
Malaysia | Zon Hisham Zainal Abidin. Young women from the Bajau Laut community apply borak, a traditional turmeric and rice paste used for beauty and protection from the tropical sun.
Malaysia | Zon Hisham Zainal Abidin. Young women from the Bajau Laut community apply borak, a traditional turmeric and rice paste used for beauty and protection from the tropical sun.
Italy | Michele Martinelli. Karim Rashedi, a rower from the historic Borgo Cappuccini district, stands at the entrance of his local rowing club in Livorno.
Italy | Michele Martinelli. Karim Rashedi, a rower from the historic Borgo Cappuccini district, stands at the entrance of his local rowing club in Livorno.
Greenland | Adam Sébire. Children in Uummannaq carve words into melting sea ice, using their language to describe the climate changes they are witnessing.
Greenland | Adam Sébire. Children in Uummannaq carve words into melting sea ice, using their language to describe the climate changes they are witnessing.
Philippines | Giacomo d’Orlando. Members of the Dunoy community release a young crocodile into a stream near the Disulap River as part of a conservation programme to restore the Philippine crocodile population.
Philippines | Giacomo d’Orlando. Members of the Dunoy community release a young crocodile into a stream near the Disulap River as part of a conservation programme to restore the Philippine crocodile population.
South Korea | Jaime Gomez. A haenyeo diver prepares to enter the water in search of shellfish, continuing a centuries-old tradition on Jeju Island.
South Korea | Jaime Gomez. A haenyeo diver prepares to enter the water in search of shellfish, continuing a centuries-old tradition on Jeju Island.
Tanzania (Zanzibar) | Samir Satchu. Wrapped in traditional kangas, women walk along the shore at low tide to harvest seaweed, a key source of income and independence.
Tanzania (Zanzibar) | Samir Satchu. Wrapped in traditional kangas, women walk along the shore at low tide to harvest seaweed, a key source of income and independence.
Russia | Slava Lyu-Fa. The Samotishchuk family stores food in an ice cellar near the Kolyma River, as erosion gradually threatens to flood the structure.
Russia | Slava Lyu-Fa. The Samotishchuk family stores food in an ice cellar near the Kolyma River, as erosion gradually threatens to flood the structure.
Indonesia | Abyan Madani. A member of Jakarta’s “Blue Troops,” a municipal unit responding to floods and clearing water channels, poses during daily operations.
Indonesia | Abyan Madani. A member of Jakarta’s “Blue Troops,” a municipal unit responding to floods and clearing water channels, poses during daily operations.
Singapore | Aude Guerrucci. Athletes from the Japanese club “Tokyo as Rhythm” compete in the team artistic swimming event at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Tampines, 3 August 2025.
Singapore | Aude Guerrucci. Athletes from the Japanese club “Tokyo as Rhythm” compete in the team artistic swimming event at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Tampines, 3 August 2025.
Bolivia | Gastón Zilberman. Members of the Qotzuñi community sit in a boat stranded on the salt flats where Lake Poopó once existed, following the lake’s disappearance due to climate change.
Bolivia | Gastón Zilberman. Members of the Qotzuñi community sit in a boat stranded on the salt flats where Lake Poopó once existed, following the lake’s disappearance due to climate change.
India | Joydip Mukherjee. A young boy attempts to save his pet as rising floodwaters enter his neighbourhood
India | Joydip Mukherjee. A young boy attempts to save his pet as rising floodwaters enter his neighbourhood
Indonesia | Tianxiao Wang. Sixteen-year-old Emen practises traditional whaling techniques by repeatedly diving from coastal cliffs into the sea.
Indonesia | Tianxiao Wang. Sixteen-year-old Emen practises traditional whaling techniques by repeatedly diving from coastal cliffs into the sea.
England | David Morrison. Women gather daily for cold-water swimming, using the ritual as a form of social connection and mental resilience.
England | David Morrison. Women gather daily for cold-water swimming, using the ritual as a form of social connection and mental resilience.
Colombia | Linda Esperanza Aragón. Children play in the water at the Zapaiana wetlands while adults fish and carry out daily routines nearby.
Colombia | Linda Esperanza Aragón. Children play in the water at the Zapaiana wetlands while adults fish and carry out daily routines nearby.
Brazil | Pablo Vergara. An elder of the Kayapó people stands in the Médio Xingu region, Pará state, where Indigenous communities protect forest territories.
Brazil | Pablo Vergara. An elder of the Kayapó people stands in the Médio Xingu region, Pará state, where Indigenous communities protect forest territories.
India | Barun Rajgaria. A young woman walks to collect water as children play around her in a rural community.
India | Barun Rajgaria. A young woman walks to collect water as children play around her in a rural community.
Cambodia | Joan de la Malla. Small fish are processed at Lake Tonlé Sap, where fisheries form the backbone of local livelihoods and food security
Cambodia | Joan de la Malla. Small fish are processed at Lake Tonlé Sap, where fisheries form the backbone of local livelihoods and food security

The winning projects will be showcased as part of an international traveling exhibition in 2026, following presentations at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The total prize fund of the competition exceeded €10,000.

The full gallery of winning stories is available on the official competition website.
2026-01-28 17:49 Contests