Ami Vitale is a National Geographic Explorer at Large, award-winning photographer, writer, documentary filmmaker, and the founder of Vital Impacts. Her work explores the vital connections between people, wildlife, and the planet.
She has been recognized with numerous honors, including Conservation International’s Lui-Walton Innovators Fellowship, the Lucie Humanitarian Award, the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service, the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting, and six World Press Photo awards. She is an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and an inductee into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame. Through both her nonprofit leadership and her own creative work, she remains deeply committed to empowering emerging voices and advancing a more hopeful, solutions-driven future for our planet.