Brazilian is a finalist in international photography award with image of the release of the anteater “Hanna” | Culture, Design and Fashion

Photographer Fernando Faciole, specialized in recording wildlife, is among the 36 finalists in the international Environmental Photography Award 2024, organized by the Prince Albert II of Monaco foundation. The image of the release of a giant anteater on a rainy night earned the Brazilian a place in the “Change Makers: Reasons for Hope” category.

Furthermore, the photograph also competes in the “popular choice” category, with voting open until April 14 on the foundation’s website. The winners of each category will receive a prize of 1,000 euros (R$5,400), and in the public’s choice, a bonus of 500 euros (R$2,700). The grand prize for environmental photographer of the year, chosen from among all finalists, is 5,000 euros (R$27,000).

Faciole’s photograph, titled “Rainy Release” (rainy release, in free translation) depicts the moment when, after undergoing cardiac examinations, “Hanna”, as the female giant anteater is called, returns to her habitat under the rain. The record shows the initiative of the Institute for the Conservation of Wild Animals (ICAS), which researches the diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction in anteaters kept under human care.

The finalist photographs are part of the competition exhibition, which rotates through spaces in Europe and North America. A book with the images is published annually by the foundation, which started the competition in 2021 as a way to highlight the beauty and challenges facing the planet’s nature.

In 2022, Fernando became the youngest Brazilian to join the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), a group that represents the most prominent conservation photographers in the world. In the same year, Fernando also won his first international award, the Panda Awards at the Wildscreen Festival, in the Photographic History category.

In 2023, Fernando had photographs published in National Geographic Global, highlighting flamingo conservation in the Dominican Republic. The material appeared in the printed edition of the magazine in March this year.