Wildlife Photographer Thomas Peschak Wins Prestigious Nat Geo Award

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa – A meerkat looks at the camera while others stand guard to warn of predators, left, Brazil – Amazon river dolphins swim among the trees in the Rio Negro in Brazil. Featured in the Special Single-Topic October 2024 Amazon Issue of National Geographic Magazine, right. Photos by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.

National Geographic photographer Thomas Peschak has won the 2025 Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling.

The award — named for the writer and photographer Eliza Scidmore, the first woman elected to the Society’s Board of Trustees in 1892 — recognizes individuals whose work focuses on immersive storytelling to advance our understanding of the environmental and conservation issues humanity faces.

A large gray whale swims just beneath the surface of green-tinted water. A pair of human hands reach out toward the whale, near its eye, creating a sense of connection between human and animal.
Mexico – A tourist on a boat in Laguna San Ignacio reaches into the water in the hope of petting one of many gray whales that frequent the bay to mate and care for their young. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.
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A capybara is swimming through rust-colored, reflective water in a dense forest with lush green foliage. Sunlight filters through the trees, highlighting the tranquil scene and casting soft shadows.
Ariau River, Brazil – A pink river dolphin cruises in the shallows of a flooded forest in Brazil’s Ariaú River. Its unique anatomy allows it to swim easily through these waters. Narrow dorsal fins, long snouts, and large, flexible flippers let the mammals slip in and out of submerged branches. “They basically fly between the trees,” marine biologist Fernando Trujillo says, “following the fish.” Featured in the Special Single-Topic October 2024 Amazon Issue of National Geographic Magazine. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.

Peschak started out his career training as a marine biologist but he eventually moved to photojournalism after realizing his impact on conservation could be greater through storytelling to inspire change.

Peschak has done incredibly well racking up 18 Wildlife Photographer of the Year wins, seven World Press Photo Awards, and most recently, the 2024 Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award. He has photographed 20 National Geographic magazine features on various subjects, including manta rays, sea turtles, climate change in Antarctica, and the global seabird crisis.

The award — named for the writer and photographer Eliza Scidmore, the first woman elected to the Society’s Board of Trustees in 1892 — recognizes individuals whose work focuses on immersive storytelling to advance our understanding of the environmental and conservation issues humanity faces.
A large gray whale swims just beneath the surface of green-tinted water. A pair of human hands reach out toward the whale, near its eye, creating a sense of connection between human and animal.
Mexico – A tourist on a boat in Laguna San Ignacio reaches into the water in the hope of petting one of many gray whales that frequent the bay to mate and care for their young. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.
00:12
03:36
Top Stories
A capybara is swimming through rust-colored, reflective water in a dense forest with lush green foliage. Sunlight filters through the trees, highlighting the tranquil scene and casting soft shadows.
Ariau River, Brazil – A pink river dolphin cruises in the shallows of a flooded forest in Brazil’s Ariaú River. Its unique anatomy allows it to swim easily through these waters. Narrow dorsal fins, long snouts, and large, flexible flippers let the mammals slip in and out of submerged branches. “They basically fly between the trees,” marine biologist Fernando Trujillo says, “following the fish.” Featured in the Special Single-Topic October 2024 Amazon Issue of National Geographic Magazine. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.
Peschak started out his career training as a marine biologist but he eventually moved to photojournalism after realizing his impact on conservation could be greater through storytelling to inspire change.
Peschak has done incredibly well racking up 18 Wildlife Photographer of the Year wins, seven World Press Photo Awards, and most recently, the 2024 Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award. He has photographed 20 National Geographic magazine features on various subjects, including manta rays, sea turtles, climate change in Antarctica, and the global seabird crisis.

The award — named for the writer and photographer Eliza Scidmore, the first woman elected to the Society’s Board of Trustees in 1892 — recognizes individuals whose work focuses on immersive storytelling to advance our understanding of the environmental and conservation issues humanity faces.

A large gray whale swims just beneath the surface of green-tinted water. A pair of human hands reach out toward the whale, near its eye, creating a sense of connection between human and animal.
Mexico – A tourist on a boat in Laguna San Ignacio reaches into the water in the hope of petting one of many gray whales that frequent the bay to mate and care for their young. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.
00:12
03:36

A capybara is swimming through rust-colored, reflective water in a dense forest with lush green foliage. Sunlight filters through the trees, highlighting the tranquil scene and casting soft shadows.
Ariau River, Brazil – A pink river dolphin cruises in the shallows of a flooded forest in Brazil’s Ariaú River. Its unique anatomy allows it to swim easily through these waters. Narrow dorsal fins, long snouts, and large, flexible flippers let the mammals slip in and out of submerged branches. “They basically fly between the trees,” marine biologist Fernando Trujillo says, “following the fish.” Featured in the Special Single-Topic October 2024 Amazon Issue of National Geographic Magazine. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.

Peschak started out his career training as a marine biologist but he eventually moved to photojournalism after realizing his impact on conservation could be greater through storytelling to inspire change.

Peschak has done incredibly well racking up 18 Wildlife Photographer of the Year wins, seven World Press Photo Awards, and most recently, the 2024 Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award. He has photographed 20 National Geographic magazine features on various subjects, including manta rays, sea turtles, climate change in Antarctica, and the global seabird crisis.

The award — named for the writer and photographer Eliza Scidmore, the first woman elected to the Society’s Board of Trustees in 1892 — recognizes individuals whose work focuses on immersive storytelling to advance our understanding of the environmental and conservation issues humanity faces.

A large gray whale swims just beneath the surface of green-tinted water. A pair of human hands reach out toward the whale, near its eye, creating a sense of connection between human and animal.
Mexico – A tourist on a boat in Laguna San Ignacio reaches into the water in the hope of petting one of many gray whales that frequent the bay to mate and care for their young. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.
00:12
03:36

A capybara is swimming through rust-colored, reflective water in a dense forest with lush green foliage. Sunlight filters through the trees, highlighting the tranquil scene and casting soft shadows.
Ariau River, Brazil – A pink river dolphin cruises in the shallows of a flooded forest in Brazil’s Ariaú River. Its unique anatomy allows it to swim easily through these waters. Narrow dorsal fins, long snouts, and large, flexible flippers let the mammals slip in and out of submerged branches. “They basically fly between the trees,” marine biologist Fernando Trujillo says, “following the fish.” Featured in the Special Single-Topic October 2024 Amazon Issue of National Geographic Magazine. Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic.

Peschak started out his career training as a marine biologist but he eventually moved to photojournalism after realizing his impact on conservation could be greater through storytelling to inspire change.

Peschak has done incredibly well racking up 18 Wildlife Photographer of the Year wins, seven World Press Photo Awards, and most recently, the 2024 Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award. He has photographed 20 National Geographic magazine features on various subjects, including manta rays, sea turtles, climate change in Antarctica, and the global seabird crisis.

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