Lakes in the Sahara Desert Merzouga

• Prize
  Gold in Nature/Other
• Photographer
  Gabriel Navarro, Spain
• Date of Photograph
  05/10/2024
• Website
  http://www.gabrielnavarro.es/
• Instagram
  gabrielnavarro_c

Rare and intense torrential rains at the end of September 2024 flooded an area of ​​the Saharan desert of Merzouga, Morocco, causing human losses. But they created unusual and spectacular lakes that had not been seen for decades. These rains have made it possible to revive part of the natural heritage of the area. Experts say that climate change is causing extreme weather events, such as storms and droughts. The locals excitedly visit these surprising lagoons, enjoying a beautiful landscape, and they enjoy bathing in its waters of various shades of of turquoise embedded in the sand dunes.

Gabriel Navarro holds a PhD in Psychology and holds a Master’s degree in Social Intervention Psychology. Photography has been an essential and constant part of his travels and his life. His work focuses on documentary photography and various projects with reflective and psychological content that confront the viewer with situations or scenes of human behaviour or their natural surroundings and environment, in a way that encourages the viewer to consider dilemmas and alternatives in their thinking and personal stance, going beyond their initial impression of the image’s aesthetic elements.

Awards Honorable Mention in International Photography Awards (IPA 2023): "TRACES ON THE WALL".
Bronze People-Culture in Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA 2024): "The Friendly Dialogue of The People In Rissani Market".
Work selected for the 17th University of Murcia Photography Prize: "Youngsters at Royal Mile"