Winning photos impress at PEFC Week

16 November 2018 Forests in photos

A family enjoying the benefits that forests provide, a squirrel sniffing a flower, stunning landscapes and forests in the mist… the participants at PEFC Forest Certification Week 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland, were in for a treat!

The top twelve photos from the second edition of our ‘Experience Forests, Experience PEFC’ photo contest were all on display throughout PEFC Week, giving our participants the opportunity to take a break from the formal work and loose themselves in the magical world of forests.

In the centre was ‘Digging Bamboo Shoots in Spring’ taken by Kyoko Harada in Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, our first placed photo and winner of the 2018 PEFC Photographer of the Year Award.

Hear from Kyoko as she shares how the forests inspired her to take this fantastic image, and how important the forests are to her and her family…

“I would like to congratulate our PEFC Photographer of the Year 2018, Kyoko Harada, for her wonderful photo. As part of the judging panel, I was immediately drawn to this image, and especially the story behind it,” said Ben Gunneberg, during PEFC Week.

“I also want to congratulate the other eleven photographers for their wonderful images. It was tough to pick just twelve from the dozens of national winners we received (not to mention how hard it was for our members to pick winners from the more than 12,000 photos received globally!), but I am extremely happy with our final selection.”

“I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and I’m already looking forward to the 2019 edition of our contest!” Ben concluded.

Our top 12 photos

Choosing a winner was not easy, as all our top 12 photos are gorgeous. From sun pierced trees and endangered animals to enchanted forests – they are all worth seeing!