Forensic science and the fight against the illegal wildlife trade took center stage at the Earth Photo 2026 Awards, where photojournalist Britta Jaschinski claimed the top prize for her haunting portfolio. The UK-based German photographer, a multi-award winner, adds this accolade to the Environmental Photographer of the Year Grand Prize she received in April from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
Jaschinski’s latest series was photographed across the UK and Europe, documenting wildlife crime units using both new and traditional techniques to combat trafficking. The images feature objects such as a stuffed lion’s head, a bottle opener made from a lion’s paw, reptile skins, an elephant’s foot, and ivory—each a stark reminder of how majestic animals have been reduced to commodities.
The most arresting photograph shows a dead green sea turtle resembling a fluorescing coral reef. Upon closer inspection, a handprint on the turtle’s shell is illuminated by special powder dye applied by a forensic expert. “Seeing that level of forensic expertise applied to a turtle was both unexpected and extraordinary. Watching the team work felt almost like witnessing magic,” Jaschinski told CNN. “What stayed with me most was the sense of hope, also because this can act as a deterrent.”
The image highlights the work of Louise Gibson and Alexandra Thomas, who lead the Wildlife Crime Lab at the Institute of Zoology in London. The lab’s research shows that new-generation powders can recover quality fingerprints from 70% of wildlife specimens, and DNA left by handlers can also be retrieved. Their findings are shared with authorities including the Metropolitan Police and border forces in 40 countries.
Jaschinski co-founded Photographers Against Wildlife Crime in 2018 and co-created The Evidence Project, a collective of photographers documenting humanity’s impact on nature. “Wildlife smuggling has been regulated internationally for decades through CITES, but only recently has it been treated as transnational organized crime. That shift has been encouraging,” she said.
The Earth Photo prize, organized by the Royal Geographical Society, art consultancy Parker Harris, and charity Photoworks, also announced winners in seven other categories. Payal Kakkar won the Climate Change category for “Lives of Extraction,” documenting Indigenous resistance against coal mining in India. Natalya Saprunova received the New Scientist Editors Award for her documentation of permafrost thawing and coastal erosion in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
An exhibition of the winners is on display at the Royal Geographical Society in London until July 24, before touring the UK through November.
