Country: Italy 🇮🇹
Elisabetta Zavoli is born in Rimini (Italy) in 1976. She holds a M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences and is a freelance documentary photographer since 2009. Zavoli has been based in Algeria (2009-20212) and in Indonesia (2012-2018) where she has worked as freelance photojournalist for major international magazines and newspapers. She has produced long term documentary projects investigating gender issues and environmental issues, primarily focusing on the effects of the climate crisis on local communities and the relationship with the global economy. Zavoli is currently based in Italy.
In 2016, she has been awarded “Journalism Grant for Innovation in Development Reporting” by European Journalism Centre for the project “A fistful of shrimps” together with science journalist Jacopo Pasotti.
In 2019, her picture “The landfill midwife” has won the overall Earth Photo Award 2019 by the Royal Geographical Society of London.
In 2021, she ha won 78th Pictures of the Year International (POYi) and Happiness ONTHEMOVE Award for her photographic project “And in darkness you find colors”.
In 2021, she is recipient of National Geographic Society Emergency Journalism Fund to investigate the emotional and economic aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic on freelance performing artists and workers of the Italian theatre scene in the project "Covid monologues”, developed together with fellow journalist Stefania Prandi.
In 2021, she has been granted “Ocean Story Grant” by Earth Journalism Network for the project “Voices from the sea” together with science journalist Francesco Martinelli.
In 2022, Zavoli is recipient of National Geographic Society Grant - Level I for the storytelling project “An alien at my table” focusing on local bottom-up solutions that coastal communities in the eastern Mediterranean Sea are developing in order to mitigate the negative impacts of the Invasive Alien Species “blue crab” (Callinectes sapidus) on the local ecosystems, the fishing economy and tourism.
Her works have been published on major International media outlets among which The New York Times, The New Yorker, BBC, The Guardian, National Geographic, Nature.
She is a regular contributor to Getty Images Editorial. She is a member of the international photo collective Women Photograph and of Her Wild Vision Initiative, the international database of women and women-identifying photographers and filmmakers working on conservation and the environment. So far, her pictures have been exhibited in 43 exhibitions in 12 countries over 4 continents.
In 2016, she has been awarded “Journalism Grant for Innovation in Development Reporting” by European Journalism Centre for the project “A fistful of shrimps” together with science journalist Jacopo Pasotti.
In 2019, her picture “The landfill midwife” has won the overall Earth Photo Award 2019 by the Royal Geographical Society of London.
In 2021, she ha won 78th Pictures of the Year International (POYi) and Happiness ONTHEMOVE Award for her photographic project “And in darkness you find colors”.
In 2021, she is recipient of National Geographic Society Emergency Journalism Fund to investigate the emotional and economic aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic on freelance performing artists and workers of the Italian theatre scene in the project "Covid monologues”, developed together with fellow journalist Stefania Prandi.
In 2021, she has been granted “Ocean Story Grant” by Earth Journalism Network for the project “Voices from the sea” together with science journalist Francesco Martinelli.
In 2022, Zavoli is recipient of National Geographic Society Grant - Level I for the storytelling project “An alien at my table” focusing on local bottom-up solutions that coastal communities in the eastern Mediterranean Sea are developing in order to mitigate the negative impacts of the Invasive Alien Species “blue crab” (Callinectes sapidus) on the local ecosystems, the fishing economy and tourism.
Her works have been published on major International media outlets among which The New York Times, The New Yorker, BBC, The Guardian, National Geographic, Nature.
She is a regular contributor to Getty Images Editorial. She is a member of the international photo collective Women Photograph and of Her Wild Vision Initiative, the international database of women and women-identifying photographers and filmmakers working on conservation and the environment. So far, her pictures have been exhibited in 43 exhibitions in 12 countries over 4 continents.