Elisabetta Zavoli is a documentary photographer born in Rimini (Italy) in 1976.

She graduated in Environmental Sciences at University of Bologna in 2001 and took a Master degree in Chemistry for Waste Management in 2007. Zavoli has been working as a chemist from 2001 until 2009. Then in 2009 she quit her job and got the Master in Photojournalism at Contrasto Agency in Milan.

In 2009, Elisabetta Zavoli started her career as photojournalist and, for three years, she lived in Algiers where she has documented the condition of women in the Algerian society. For 6 years (2012-2018), she has been based in Jakarta. The main subjects of her photographic research are long term documentary projects on environmental issues and the relationship between human beings and the environment, and on gender issues. With more than 10 years working on documentary projects Zavoli developed the ability of being easily accepted by diverse communities especially thanks to her empathic approach and openness to understand the others’ points of view. Zavoli is greatly interested in investigating communities out of the mainstream narratives thus contributing to enrich the global discussion on various topics by telling diverse approaches. In September 2020, she has co-founded Radar Magazine together with other seven dedicated science journalists to tell stories and produce investigations on environment, nature, geography and culture.

Elisabetta Zavoli is a member of Overseas Press Club of America, international photo collective Women Photograph and Instagram group @everydayclimatechange. She is also a member of Her Wild Vision Initiative, the international database of women and women-identifying photographers and filmmakers working on conservation and the environment.
Zavoli is a freelance contributor to The New York Times and to Getty Images Editorial content.

In 2022, Zavoli is recipient of National Geographic Society Grant – Level I for the storytelling project “An alien at my table” focusing on bottom-up solutions developed by some coastal communities in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in order to mitigate the negative impacts of the Invasive Alien Species (IAS), Callinectes sapidus or “blue crab” on the local ecosystems, the fishing economy and tourism. 

Published on

The New York Times, National Geographic, Nature,The New Yorker, BBC World, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, Huffington Post, New York Magazine, Vogue Italy, Vanity Fair, El Pais, Bloomberg Businessweek, Wired, Sierra Magazine, Unesco Courier, South East Asia Globe, LensCulture, The Jakarta Post, Mongabay, The National (Abu Dhabi), La Repubblica, Internazionale, La Stampa, Les Temps, WOZ Die Wochenzeitung, Die Zeit, WirtschaftsWoche, Deutsche Welle, OneWorld, Chinese Philantropist, The Coaches Voices, Channelnews Asia, Dailymail UK, Next City, Famiglia Cristiana, Altreconomia, Le Scienze, Private Magazine, Il Reportage, Terre di Mezzo, Popoli, Witness Journal, SMBHMagazine, Globetrotter Magazine.

Grants and Awards

2023
National Geographic Fest, keynote speaker, Milan, Italy
Make Mercury History Photo Contest, UNEP – Minamata Convention, winner of the Mercury Pollution category, Switzerland
The Environmental Photographer of the Year 2023, shortlisted in “Adapting for Tomorrow” category, UK
World Report Award 2023, shortlisted in Master Award category, IT
2022
National Geographic Society Level I Grant – Explorer for the documentary project “An alien at my table – Local bottom-up solutions to turn and alien into an ally”, Italy, Greece, Croatia
Italian Sustainability Photo Award ISPA, winner of the Photo Story category, IT
Italian Sustainability Photo Award ISPA, finalist of the Single Photo category, IT
Italian Sustainability Photo Award ISPA, winner of the Nikon Capture Tomorrow Prize, IT
2021
National Geographic Society Emergency Journalism Fund – Covid Monologues, IT
Premio Happiness ONTHEMOVE 2021 – Cortona On The Move Festival, IT
78th Pictures of the Year International (POYi), Winner of “COVID-19 personal expression” category, USA
Ocean Story Grant by Earth Journalism Network
Festival della Fotografia Etica 2021, shortlisted at Single Shot Award, IT
2020
68th Maggie Awards, Award of Excellence for Best Series of Editorial Photographs and Best Feature Article published on Sierra Magazine, USA
Wellcome Photography Prize 2020, shortlisted for the Social Perspectives category, London, UK
2019
Earth Photo 2019, Overall winner, Royal Geographical Society, London, UK
Labverde Art Residency, Manaus, Brazil
2018
Nikon-NOOR Academy, Italy Masterclass
2017
Prix de la Photographie Paris – Px3, Winner in Professional Portraiture/Personality
2016
Journalism Grant for Innovation in Development Reporting by European Journalism Centre

Exhibitions 

2024
Group Exhibition, What does a scientist look like?, London, UK
Solo Exhibition, Ti faccio vedere con gli occhi chiusi, Museo Zordan, Valdagno (VI), IT
2023
Group Exhibition, Minamata Convention on Mercury, Geneva, Switzerland
Solo Exhibition, Ti faccio vedere con gli occhi chiusi, Museo Zordan, Valdagno (VI), IT
Group Exhibition, ISPA Award, Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia, IT
Group Exhibition, ISPA Award, Palazzo Ducale, Genova, IT
Group Exhibition, ISPA Award, Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino, IT
Group Exhibition, ISPA Award, IMP Festival di Padova, IT
Group Exhibition, ISPA Award, Gallerie d’Italia Torino, IT
2022
Group Exhibition, ISPA Award, Festival delle Scienze di Roma, IT
Group Exhibition, Foto Wien, Wien, Austria
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, UK
2021
Solo Exhibition, Farfalle di Velluto, Festival di Filosofia, Biblioteca Poletti, Modena, IT
Group Exhibition, Quarantined, Officine Fotografiche, Roma, IT
Group Exhibition, Festival della Fotografia Etica, Lodi, IT
Group Exhibition, Quarantined, Paratissima, Torino, IT
Group Exhibition, L’inizio del futuro, Photolux Festival, Lucca, IT
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Royal Geographical Society, London, UK
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Moors Valley Country Park & Forest, Dorset, UK
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire, UK
2020
Group Exhibition, Festival de Fotografia de Paranapiacaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, UK
Solo Exhibition, Humus Altro Festival, Rimini, Italia, IT
2019
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Moors Valley Country Park & Forest, Dorset, UK
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Fineshade Wood, Northhamptonshire, UK
Solo Exhibition, San Marino Green Festival, Republic of San Marino (RSM)
Group Exhibition, Futuro Vulnerabile-Altroconsumo Festival, Milano, IT
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, Centro Culturale G.Verdi, Segrate, IT
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, St. Andrews Photography Festival, Scotland, UK
Group Exhibition, Earth Photo, Royal Geographical Society, London, UK
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, Polveriera Guzman, Orbetello, IT
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, Hillhead Library, Glasgow, UK
Group Exhibition, Food Security, Mantova, IT
Solo Exhibition, Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest), Jakarta, Indonesia
2018
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, UK
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, Museum of Natural History, Verona, Italy
Solo Exhibition, Semplicemente Fotografare Live 2018, Novafeltria, Italy
Solo Exhibition, National Library of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, Acampa, La Coruna, Spain
2017
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, Docudays UA, Kyiv, Ukraine
Solo Exhibition, Biblioteca Gambalunga, Rimini, Italy
Group Exhibition, EverydayClimateChange, LuganoPhotoDays, Switzerland
2016-2017
Solo Exhibition, Italian Cultural Institute, Jakarta, Indonesia.
2014
Solo Exhibition, Festival de Cinèma Douarnenez, Douarnenez Cedex, France.
2013
Solo Exhibition, Italian Cultural Institute, Jakarta, Indonesia.
2012
Group Exhibition, La Galleria, Bruxelles, Belgium.
Group Exhibition, European Parliament, Bruxelles, Belgium.
Solo Exhibition, Department of Political Sciences, Paris, France.
2011
Group Exhibition, Palais de Rais Bastion XXIII, Algiers, Algeria.
Group Exhibition, London Festival of Contemporary Arab Culture, London, UK.
Solo Exhibition, Italian Cultural Institute, Algiers, Algeria.
2008
Solo Exhibition, Festival delle Culture, Ravenna, Italy.
Solo Exhibition, Palazzo del Podestà, Rimini, Italy.