Guardians of Life: Indigenous Wisdom, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet

• Prize
  Gold in Book/Monograph, 2nd Place winner in Book
• Photographer
  Kiliii Yuyan, United States
• Date of Photograph
  2026
• Website
  http://www.kiliii.com
• Instagram
  @kiliiiyuyan

How have the world’s most iconic natural wonders—the Pacific’s coral reefs, the Amazon rainforest, the Arctic tundra—remained so vibrant? They have flourished under the careful guidance of Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Guardians of Life reveals why these communities are the planet’s most effective conservationists. Take a breathtaking visual journey—from Mongolia’s sacred mountains to Australia’s fire-managed woodlands—celebrating the power of Indigenous values, traditional ecological knowledge, and modern innovation in protecting the life that sustains our planet.

Kiliii Yuyan is an indigenous Nanai/Hézhè & Chinese-American photographer and filmmaker. He has contributed award-winning features for National Geographic Magazine, TIME, NPR, and the BBC. On assignment, he has fled collapsing sea ice, weathered botulism from fermented whale blood, and found kinship at the edges of the world. Kiliii is also a National Geographic Expeditions Expert for the Arctic. He is based out of Seattle.

Awards * PDN’s 30 New and Emerging Photographers, 2019
* PCNW 22nd Juried Exhibition, 2019, First Place
* Best of ASMP, 2018, First Place, Series
* Eddie Adams XXXI, 2018
* PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, 2018, Bronze, Feature Story
* PDN World in Focus, 2017, 1st Place, Photo Essay
* PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, 2017, Gold, Press
* Critical Mass, 2017, Top 50
* PDN Photo Annual, 2017, Personal Work
* International Photography Awards, 2017, Silver, Deeper Perspective
* Communication Arts Annual, 2017, Multimedia
* Sienna International Photo Awards, 2017, HM, Editorial
* International Photographer of the Year, 2016, Silver, Editorial
* Sony World Photo Awards, 2016, Shortlist, Still Life
* PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, 2015, HM, Press
* International Photography Awards, 2015, HM, Feature Story, Portrait
* Communication Arts Annual, 2015, Stock
* International Photography Awards, 2013, HM, Conceptual, Portrait