Creo and Sony are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Sustainability Prize, rewarding photographers and filmmakers passionate about communicating key themes linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Set up to amplify the smaller stories exploring social and environmental issues, the initiative spotlights one series from the Sony World Photography Awards’ Professional competition and one short film from the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards.

The winners are Kasia Strek (Poland) for her series Repairing the Earth, shortlisted in the Environment category of the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 Professional competition, and Kirsten Slemint (Australia) for her short film Burnt Country, shortlisted in the Non-Fiction category of the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025.

In Repairing the Earth, Kasia Strek highlights the work of pioneering humans around the world who are helping to try to reverse the devastating effects of climate change, including efforts to reintroduce bison to Europe and restoring mangrove forests in Benin. Burnt Country focuses on how Australia's First Nations people have used fire to fight fire for over 65,000 years. The film explores the relationship between the people and their land, and the knowledge and wisdom they can offer for Australia's ecological future.

Kasia Strek and Kirsten Slemint each receive $5,000 (USD) plus a range of Sony digital imaging equipment. Their work will also be honoured at a showcase hosted by the United Nations Foundation and Sony Pictures in New York in November 2025.

The Sustainability Prize is part of Creators for the Planet – a global year-round engagement programme set up by Sony Pictures and United Nations Foundation, and developed in collaboration with Creo – aiming to mobilise and inspire people to Act Now through photography and film. For more information about Creators for the Planet and the Sustainability Prize, please visit worldphoto.org and sonyfuturefilmmakerawards.com.

Notes to Editors

Produced by Creo under its photography strand World Photography Organisation, the internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards is one of the most important fixtures in the global photographic calendar. Now in its 18th year, the free-to-enter Awards are a global voice for photography and provide a vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the Awards offer world-class opportunities for exposure of their work. The Awards additionally recognise the world’s most influential artists working in the medium through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award; the acclaimed photographer Susan Meiselas is the 2025 recipient of this award, joining a distinguished list of iconic names including William Eggleston (2013), Mary Ellen Mark (2014), Martin Parr (2017), Graciela Iturbide (2021), Edward Burtynsky (2022) and Sebastião Salgado (2024). The Awards showcase the works of winning and shortlisted photographers at a prestigious annual exhibition at Somerset House, London. worldphoto.org/exhibition

Established by Creo and sponsored by Sony, the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards is a major annual awards program for short films devoted to supporting and elevating independent filmmakers and creators from across the globe. Set apart by its exceptional prize, the Awards provide successful filmmakers with invaluable opportunities in the form of a trip to Los Angeles and to the historic Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, where they gain exclusive access to experts and unparalleled insight into the inner workings of the industry. Winners additionally receive cash prizes and a range of Sony Digital Imaging equipment. Free to enter, the Awards comprise four categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Student and Animation, and are judged by a panel of leading figures. By supporting talents in film, video and storytelling, the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards provides a gateway for the development of creative excellence. sonyfuturefilmmakerawards.com

Creo initiates and organizes events and programming across three key strands: photography, film and contemporary art. Since 2007 Creo’s mission has been to develop meaningful opportunities for creatives and to expand the reach of its cultural activities. Its flagship projects include the Sony World Photography Awards, Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, PHOTOFAIRS and Photo London. Working in partnership with Angus Montgomery Arts (AMA), Creo helps deliver the group’s ventures, comprising some of the world’s leading art fairs. Taking its name from the Latin for “I create,” it is in this spirit that Creo sets out to empower and give agency to creative voices. creoarts.com

Sony Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology & Services (ET&S) business. With the mission to “create the future of entertainment through the power of technology together with creators,” we aim to continue to deliver Kando* to people around the world. For more information, visit sony.net.*Kando is a Japanese word that roughly translates to the sense of awe and emotion you feel when experiencing something beautiful and amazing for the first time.

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Sony Pictures Television operates dozens of wholly-owned or joint-venture production companies around the world. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, Sony Pictures International Productions, and Sony Pictures Classics. For more information, visit sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.

For over 25 years, the United Nations Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org.