The results of the photo contest are in! Launched on 22 March to mark World Water Day, the first OneWater 2024 photo contest has just closed with the announcement of the winning photos. A Grand Jury Prize, a Jury Prize and a People's Choice Prize have been awarded to the winners of the competition on the theme of "Water perspectives: between pressures, uses and sustainability".
22 July 2024
Photo d'un paysage montagneux parcouru de rivières et de lacs dans l'Archipel des Kerguelen (TAAF)

"Eaux libres, eaux sans frontière" (Archipel des Kerguelen, 2022) - Grand Prix du Jury 2024

© Ludovic Lesven

Grand Jury Prize

"Open waters, boundless waters" - Ludovic Lesven

Caption: This photo was taken in January 2022 during a scientific expedition to the Kerguelen archipelago in the far south of the Indian Ocean (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, TAAF). In a land untouched by human activity, you can contemplate water flowing without artificial obstacles (sealing, piping, dams, etc.), and without human pressure: an unspoilt landscape preserved from human folly, an ode to sobriety that should be found everywhere! [French Polar Institute, 1200 ENVIKER programme, 2022]. 

Biography: Ludovic Lesven is a lecturer and researcher in environmental chemistry at the University of Lille and LASIRE (UMR CNRS 8516). His work focuses on the origin, fate and toxicity of pollution in aquatic environments (lakes, rivers, groundwater, etc.). 
 

Photo en noir et blanc du Barrage du Gouffre d'Enfer près de Saint-Etienne

"Barrage du Gouffre d'Enfer" (Métropole de Saint-Etienne, 2022) - Prix du Jury 2024

© Pierre Suchet

Jury Prize

"Gouffre d'Enfer Dam" - Pierre Suchet

Caption: The Gouffre d'Enfer Dam at Rochetaillée (Saint-Étienne metropolitan area, Loire) was inaugurated in 1866. At the time, it was the largest dam in the world. Financed by the State, it was designed with 3 objectives in mind: 1) to supply drinking water to the city of Saint-Étienne, which was undergoing rapid population growth at the time; 2) to reduce flooding on the Furan; and 3) to ensure a minimum flow during low-water periods to supply hydraulic power to the numerous factories. Photograph taken with a 4x5 camera, November 2022 

Biography: Pierre Suchet has been carrying out geo-photographic surveys of urban rivers in collaboration with researchers in the humanities since 2013. In 2022, his 10-year survey of the River Nièvre was the subject of a major open-air exhibition, shown in the main towns in the catchment area. In 2024, he exhibited his work on 4 rivers (Furan, Nièvre, Lez, Yzeron) at the Maison de l'Architecture in Lyon. 
 

Photo du marais de Kaw en Guyane montrant un héron et un zébu dans une zone humide

"Kaw-habitation" (Marais de Kaw, Guyane, 2022) - Prix du Public 2024

© Marie Hastaran

People's Choice Prize

"Kaw-habitation" - Marie Hastaran

Caption: In the Kaw marshes, between open water, marshy meadows and riverbanks that are the legacy of a long history of human activity, as evidenced by the remains of polders, rosewood extraction and slash-and-burn agriculture, water is the major structuring element. This hydrosystem, formed by a coastal depression and the Kaw river, is now used for extensive zebu farming and is protected for its biological value at national and international level. Photo taken in French Guiana, July 2022 

Biography: Marie Hastaran is a graduate of ISTOM, an international engineering school specialising in agri-development. She did her end-of-studies work placement in French Guiana in an urban planning consultancy. Her engineering dissertation focused on the management of wetlands in French Guiana as part of local urban planning. Today, Marie works for the Aubrac Regional Nature Park as a project manager for "Aquatic Environments".
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The OneWater - Eau Bien Commun programme would like to thank all the participants in this first edition of the OneWater photo competition for their contribution in highlighting the place and challenges of water in France and its overseas territories.

Many thanks also to the selection panel for their involvement, their insight and their sound advice. For this first edition, the jury was composed of:

  • Amélie Truchy: post-doctoral researcher and membrer of the EcoFlowS INRAE team
  • Frédéric Denhez: journalist and columnist specialising in environmental issues
  • Joséphine Lavirotte : image documentalist at CNRS Images
  • Renaud Hostache: research director at IRD
  • Emilie Rudolf: communications officer for the OneWater - Eau Bien Commun research programme

The winning photos, along with eight photos receiving a special mention from the Jury, will be exhibited in a dedicated area during the OneWater 2025 Scientific Days (dates and details to follow).