The 21st edition of the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards honors Pedro Armestre’s photojournalism, UCOMA’s fight against environmental crimes, and the real-time dissemination of deep-sea science conducted in 2025 by Argentina’s GEMPA group.
In this edition, the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards, whose results were announced yesterday, recognized three actions of great significance. On one hand, environmental protection, and on the other, the dissemination of nature’s wonders and the need to preserve them, in two distinct ways.
The Spain Biodiversity Award was granted to UCOMA for its tireless actions in protecting the environment, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The Education and Environmental Communication in Spain award went to Pedro Armestre, a well-known Galician photojournalist who has dedicated his life to spreading through his photographs the urgency of protecting the environment.
In the Global category of the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards, the winner was GEMPA, the Group for Deep Sea Studies of Argentina. The 20 scientists who make up the group carried out a live underwater exploration of the Argentine continental slope, which went viral in 2025 and amassed more than 20 million views.
This article discusses the results of the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards, explains why the major national and global prizes were awarded, and details the merits, the work, and the trajectories of the winners.
Meet the Winners of the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards
The fight against environmental crimes by Seprona’s Central Operational Unit for the Environment, the environmental photojournalism of the Verín-born Pedro Armestre, and the real-time dissemination of marine science by Argentina’s Group for Deep Sea Studies (Gempa) have been awarded the 21st BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards.
Three of the seven prize categories have been decided; from this 21st edition onward, the BBVA Foundation Awards for Biodiversity Conservation are renamed the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards, expanding the number of categories, with a total prize pool of 1.3 million euros.
The aim of these awards is to recognize individuals and institutions capable of translating the findings of scientific research into actions, «with relevant, measurable results and lasting impact,» according to a BBVA Foundation press release.
Spain Biodiversity Award
The Spain Biodiversity Award has fallen to Seprona’s Central Operations Unit for the Environment. According to the jury, UCOMA’s proven track record “demonstrates a sustained ability to translate the best technical and scientific knowledge into operational interventions, achieving outstanding results as a cutting-edge unit against environmental crimes, in the defense of species, their natural habitats, ecosystems, and biodiversity in general, thereby contributing to the enforcement of environmental legislation.”
Environmental Education and Communication in Spain
In the Environmental Education and Communication in Spain category of the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards, the work of environmental photojournalist Pedro Armestre has been recognized; “since the 1990s he has enabled a portrayal of the environmental situation in Spain, concentrating in his photographs the complexity of the climate and biodiversity crisis,” the jury notes.
“His career combines documentary rigor, ethical sensitivity, and a deep understanding of the photographic act. The visual narrative of his images generates a strong emotional impact that helps raise awareness. His photography, marked by a commitment to the environment, has crossed borders and has been published in international media.”
Global Environmental Education and Communication
In the Global Environmental Education and Communication category of the BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards, the Group for Deep Sea Studies of Argentina (Gempa) has been recognized, composed of 20 researchers – most from Conicet, Argentina’s largest and most prestigious public research institution – for disseminating frontier marine research to mass audiences, achieving an innovative way of narrating science and generating public environmental awareness.»
In 2025, in collaboration with the Schmidt Ocean Institute, Gempa researchers explored the Argentine continental slope at nearly 4,000 meters depth and their live broadcasts reached a wide audience, accumulating 20 million views, “humanizing the scientists and revealing species in real time before the public.”
