©Cléa T. Rekhou, Aïcha sitting at her home, she has now settled in a farm but remembers the time of transhumance through the steppe. January 1, 2025. Near Beni Yagoub in the Djelfa province, Algeria.

Now in its third year, Vital Impacts has awarded seven environmental photography fellowships totaling $50,000 and eleven year-long mentorships to visionary photographers illuminating the profound and often fragile connection between people and the planet. As support for indepth environmental storytelling declines and the urgency of these stories continues to grow, Vital Impacts champions the artists whose images spark empathy, inspire action, and remind us of our collective responsibility to protect the Earth we call home.

Vital Impacts is thrilled to announce the 2026 recipients of $50,000 in Environmental Photography Fellowships, honoring the legacy of visionary leaders including Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chico Mendes, Madonna Thunder Hawk, E.O. Wilson and Ian Lemaiyan. Fellows were selected for their locally rooted storytelling that highlights solutions and community resilience. In addition, 11 emerging photographers will participate in year-long intensive mentorships, developing their craft and vision.

This year’s judging panel included Alessia Glaviano, Head of Global PhotoVogue, Azu Nwagbogu, Founder and Director of African Artists’ Foundation and Lagos Photo Festival Evgenia Arbugaeva, National Geographic Storytelling Fellow and Academy Award Nominee, Kathy Moran, Deputy Director of Photography at National Geographic and Pat Kane, Vital Impacts Environmental Jane Goodall Fellowship Winner.

Cléa T. Rekhou (Algiers, Algeria) has recently received the Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Environmental Photograph Fellowship for her project, Beyond the Steppe. The award is named in honor of environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. Cléa T. Rekhou’s story illuminates how desert communities are revitalizing arid landscapes through ancestral knowledge and collective innovation.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, Sparse vegetation and drifting sand in the steppe. Shrubs and trees are naturally spaced apart, and the ground shows signs of recent wind activity called here “El Ghbar”. May 1, 2024. Near Tadjmout, Laghouat Province, Algeria.

Cléa Rekhou (b. 1988) is an Algerian-French visual storyteller based in Algiers. She began self-learning photography in 2016 and has continuously reassessed and redefined her practice. Her work explores social issues from overlooked angles and investigates questions of identity through her own Algerian heritage.

Cléa seeks to create works that are statements and expressions of her subjective interpretation of the world. Using diverse creative methods alongside photography, she highlights people, their paths, and their stories. Her recent project Beyond The Steppe, supported by the National Geographic Society, documents environmental challenges of desertification in the Algerian Steppe while showcasing local resilience.

Cléa was a finalist for the Emerging Talent Award (2019) for Monsieur, a first chapter on domestic violence in France, and a finalist at Encontros da Imagem (2022) for On The Edge, a second chapter immersively depicting a family’s journey after the return of a sentenced father. She is a member of Women Photograph, a NEWF fellow, and a contributor to L’Obs, EverydayAfrica, and The Washington Post. Her work has been exhibited at Vantage Point Sharjah (UAE) and most recently at the 2024 Canex (Algeria).

Instagram: @cleaphotography

©Cléa T. Rekhou, Close-up of sheep marked with red dye for identification during the weekly market of Ain Roumia, one of the main sheep markets of the region. June 1, 2024. Ain Roumia, Djelfa Province, Algeria.

Beyond the Steppe

Since January 2023, I have been traveling to the oases of the Gourara and Touat in midwestern Algeria. These journeys have revealed a little-known aspect of my heritage. While the Mediterranean is often celebrated as a cradle of civilizations, the Sahara has long been a significant space of cultural exchange and knowledge. Over centuries, communities in these regions have transformed arid landscapes into fertile oases through ingenuity and collective effort. An oasis is not simply a natural feature but a carefully maintained human-made ecosystem.

Layers of vegetation—date palms, citrus trees, pomegranates, cereals, vegetables, and even roses—are planted strategically to cool the soil, reduce water loss, prevent erosion, and maximize productivity, demonstrating a sophisticated form of agroecology long before the term existed. At the heart of these oases lies the foggara, a marvel of both engineering and social organization. A foggara is an underground water catchment and delivery system. A gently sloping gallery captures water from a shallow aquifer and channels it over long distances by gravity alone. Vertical shafts, dug every few meters, provide access for maintenance and ventilation. Water emerges at a division structure called the kasria, where it is split into precisely measured shares and flows through open canals (seguia) to irrigate gardens.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, Breeders from the same tribal fraction gathering to shear mostly Ouled Djellal sheep (a local Algerian breed) under a large canvas tent in the middle of the steppe. This seasonal shearing is a vital part of the pastoral calendar, supporting both wool production and animal health. More than a practical task, this seasonal event is rooted in nomadic tradition and carries a ceremonial dimension, a moment of collective labor, transmission, and social bonding that reinforces community ties in this agropastoral region. May 1, 2024. Near Tadjrouna, Laghouat Province, Algeria.

The foggara is more than a hydraulic system; it is a living institution. Water distribution follows a strict timetable measured in time rather than volume, ensuring fairness. Maintenance duties are shared among rights-holders, and a local council (djemâa) oversees decisions, conflict resolution, and adaptation to changing conditions. These systems embody principles of moderation, equity, and long-term sustainability.

This project aims to document the foggara system and the agricultural practices within the oases, presenting a holistic portrait of this socio-ecological model. It will explore how water sharing, soil care, crop selection, and layered planting interact to sustain life in one of the harshest climates on Earth. Through photography, sound recordings, drawings, videos, and text, I will co-create a manual of knowledge and practices with the people of the Gourara and Touat. This mixed-media manual will include audio testimonies, photographs, community drawings, explanatory texts, and short videos, resulting in both a physical publication and an online resource.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, Aïcha’s hand, covered with henna, as she holds a strand of wool. She is demonstrating the traditional skill of spinning or preparing wool, an integral practice in the sheep breeder communities of the steppe. May 1, 2024. Near Beni Yagoub in the Djelfa province, Algeria.

Each step will be collaborative: documenting the foggara’s underground construction, maintenance, and water-sharing rituals, and illustrating the agricultural techniques that sustain the oases. Elders, water guardians, and farmers will be credited as co-creators, ensuring their voices are central and their expertise acknowledged. The manual will serve both as a celebration and as a tool for transmission—a visual and narrative archive preserving community knowledge for future generations, highlighting local expertise, and contributing to global conversations on climate resilience.

Ethical collaboration is central to this process. Participation will be voluntary, with continuous consent sought at every stage to ensure individuals remain comfortable with how their knowledge and image are shared. Oral testimonies, drawings, and ideas will be included verbatim whenever possible. Copies of the final manual will be distributed locally, allowing the community to benefit directly and use it as a tool for intergenerational transmission.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, A goat and its lamb in the midst of a developing sandstorm, “El Ghbar,” as it sweeps over a family tent settlement in the middle of the steppe. May 1, 2024. Near Tadjrouna, Laghouat Province, Algeria.

Having lived in Algeria for several years, I have developed deep connections with local communities, associations, and institutions, allowing me to build trust and cultural sensitivity. In my travels to the Gourara and Touat, I have cultivated strong relationships with knowledge keepers, storytellers, and community members. These encounters have sharpened my awareness of the fragility of desert ecosystems and the urgent need for conservation, especially regarding water access and agricultural practices as the foundation for sustaining livelihoods and cultural continuity.

The project will unfold over twelve months: two months of research and preparation, eight months of fieldwork co-creating the manual’s content, and two months for post-production, editing, and preparing both digital and printed versions for publication and distribution. The grant will fund fieldwork, close collaboration with the community, and the hiring of a graphic designer based in Algeria to create an immersive, interactive website replicating the experience of leafing through a manual. It will also cover the design, printing, and local distribution of the physical manual to community members, local associations, and regional institutions so the knowledge returns to its origin.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, View of Oued M’zi from the Tadjmout Dam and its surrounding irrigation system. Once regularly replenished by seasonal rains, the riverbed now remains dry for much of the year, reflecting shifting rainfall patterns and increasing drought in the region. March 1, 2024. Tadjmout, Laghouat Province, Algeria.

Preserving this knowledge is crucial: safeguarding the techniques, oral traditions, and social agreements that have allowed these oases to flourish. These practices are increasingly threatened by climate change, modern drilling, and rural exodus. Recording them now is vital for the communities wishing to transmit this heritage to younger generations and for the wider world seeking models of resilience and sustainability. Little is publicly known or valued about Algeria’s ecological knowledge, yet ancestral practices are a living archive of ingenuity and resilience. This project seeks to make such knowledge visible and accessible, fully acknowledging the people who hold it. By celebrating these practices and showing their contemporary relevance, the work hopes to inspire more sustainable ways of living and encourage a renewed socio-environmental balance, contributing to collective resilience in the face of climate change.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, In the middle of an oued, a gabion wall—constructed from stone and wire—helps slow down runoff and reduce erosion. November 1, 2024. Near Aïn Chouhada, Laghouat Province, Algeria.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, View of the bustling weekly livestock market of Ain Roumia few days before the celebration of the “Aid El Kbir”. Breeders are negotiating prices and loading their sheep into trucks. These gatherings are vital economic and social hubs in the pastoral calendar. June 1, 2024. Ain Roumia, Djelfa Province, Algeria.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, A brick house stands alone under an ochre sky during a sandstorm. As desertification spreads, many pastoral families have built permanent homes on what used to be shared grazing land, now privately owned. They are adjusting to tougher climates and new livelihoods. June 1, 2024. Near Gueltat Sidi Saad, Laghouat Province, Algeria.

©Cléa T. Rekhou, Spring shearing in the Algerian steppe. Herders prepare the Ouled Djellal sheep for summer, a traditional breed adapted to arid climates. The process helps the animals cope with the summer heat while preserving a centuries-old practice. May 1, 2024. Near Tadjrouna, Laghouat Province, Algeria.

About the Fellowships

Vital Impacts is dedicated to supporting visual storytellers who capture compelling, solutions-focused environmental stories at the local level. We are grateful to be able to offer one $20,000 fellowship and six $5,000 fellowships to help bring these vital stories to life. Fellows have twelve months to develop their projects, with support from Vital Impacts to publish and showcase their work.

“Our aim is to support and nurture the next generation of environmental storytellers through grants and mentoring programs,” said founder Ami Vitale “We aspire to create opportunities for these emerging voices to explore complex environmental issues with originality and nuance at this critical moment.” 

The 2026 Mentorship Recipients

In addition to the grants, ten emerging photographers from diverse regions will participate in an intensive mentorship program designed to enhance their storytelling skills and artistic vision.

Over the span of twelve months, these individuals will have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one sessions with industry experts, renowned photographers, and influential photo editors. Through these sessions, participants will refine their storytelling skills, receive guidance on navigating the industry, and establish vital connections.

About Vital Impacts

Over the past fifty years, Earth’s wildlife populations have declined by nearly three-quarters, a profound shift that challenges us to rethink how we care for the natural world. Yet even in the face of these losses, there is extraordinary reason for hope. Around the planet, communities, scientists, and storytellers are working together to reimagine solutions, restore ecosystems, and protect the places we all depend on.

Vital Impacts is a women-led 501c3 non-profit founded in 2021 by Ami Vitale and Eileen Mignoni to advance conservation through visual storytelling, community partnership, and strategic investment in local solutions. We harness the power of art, visual journalism, and community partnerships to support conservation and illuminate pathways toward a more resilient future. Central to our work is investing in storytellers. More than 1,000 journalists across 87 countries have received mentorship through our programs, gaining the tools and support to report on environmental issues with depth, sensitivity, and solutions-driven focus. Their stories bring global visibility to local challenges and to the people working creatively to solve them.

This storytelling network is paired with deep community engagement. Through partnerships, Vital Impacts has raised $3.5 million for local conservation initiatives. These resources help safeguard critical ecosystems, support community-led conservation, and ensure that those working closest to the land have the support they need to succeed.

We are also cultivating the next generation of environmental stewards. Our in-person student programs have reached 30,000 young people, inviting them to see themselves as active participants in shaping a healthier, more compassionate world. By connecting students with powerful stories and the people behind them, we spark curiosity, agency, and a lifelong commitment to caring for the planet.

At the heart of Vital Impacts is the belief that stories transform understanding and that understanding drives action. By elevating local voices, bridging science and narrative, and directing resources where they create lasting change, we are building a global community of people who recognize that restoring the planet is not only possible but already underway.

Instagram: @vital.impacts

Executive Director: Ami Vitale

Ami Vitale is a National Geographic Explorer at Large, award-winning photographer, writer, documentary filmmaker, and the founder of Vital Impacts. Her work explores the vital connections between people, wildlife, and the planet. With nearly three decades of experience working in over 100 countries, Ami uses storytelling as a tool for conservation, empathy, and action.

Her career began in conflict zones, where she witnessed firsthand how environmental degradation—including resource scarcity, displacement, and climate instability—profoundly affects human lives. These early experiences shaped her conviction that environmental and social issues are inseparable, guiding her toward long-term, solutions-focused work that highlights resilience, collaboration, and possibility.

Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including Conservation International’s Lui-Walton Innovators Fellowship, the Lucie Humanitarian Award, the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service, the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting, and six World Press Photo awards. She is an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and an inductee into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame.

Through both her nonprofit leadership and her own creative work, she remains deeply committed to empowering emerging voices and advancing a more hopeful, solutions-driven future for our planet.

Instagram: @amivitale