The China-Global South Project (CGSP) has won the 2025 World Press Photo Award for a striking photo essay exposing the human cost of Indonesia’s nickel boom.
The winning image, taken by Indonesian photojournalist Mas Agung Wilis Yudha Baskoro, captures the stark reality of mining workers crammed into the back of a truck near a nickel smelter in Central Weda, North Maluku. Rain slicks the ground as plumes of smoke rise in the distance. Wrapped in makeshift plastic raincoats, other laborers weave through the sprawling industrial landscape.
The photo highlights the dramatic transformation underway in North Maluku and Southeast Sulawesi—regions at the center of Indonesia’s nickel boom. As global demand for the metal surges, fueled by the tech and electric vehicle industries, large-scale mining and processing operations are rapidly reshaping these once-remote areas.
“I accept this award with humility—not as a celebration, but as a call to attention.”
Indonesian Photojournalist Mas Agung Wilis Yudha Baskoro
A Lens on Lives Reshaped
Mas Agung Wilis Yudha Baskoro has witnessed the transformation up close. His photographs do more than document—they demand attention.
For those living near Indonesia’s booming nickel corridors, the impact comes in waves—first to the land, then the air, and finally, the body. “It begins with a sharp sneeze, then a piercing wheeze, a relentless cough, or the struggle to take a full breath—accompanied by the sting of irritated eyes,” he said.
The World Press Photo Award, Yudha’s first, reflects what CGSP strives to do: highlight stories rooted in real lives and told in voices that might otherwise go unheard.
“This recognition isn’t just for us,” he said. “It belongs to the people in these photographs—their unyielding presence and their right to be seen.”
Yudha’s winning image will be featured in the World Press Photo Foundation’s 2025 traveling exhibition, which will tour more than 60 cities worldwide. This year’s competition drew over 60,000 submissions from thousands of photographers globally.
Quest for Meaningful Journalism
Eric Olander, CGSP’s editor-in-chief, emphasized that curiosity and empathy—the heart of journalism—drove this award-winning photo essay. “This project started with a question,” he said. “One that demands deep scrutiny but is often ignored: what happens to the people on the ground when the mines arrive, when smelters rise seemingly overnight, when their land feels no longer their own?”
Olander pointed to a broader gap in global conversations about critical minerals. “Too often, these debates overlook the communities at the heart of it all—places like Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands, where farmers, traders, and Indigenous groups are watching their worlds transform at breakneck speed,” he said. “Through this project, we aim to document history in real time—for policymakers, investors, consumers, and the public—to reflect on the consequences of rapid development.”
As a photojournalist, Yudha hopes the photo will raise awareness—both in Indonesia and globally—about the environmental crisis and its human toll due to nickel mining in Halmahera. “With global attention, I hope policies more favorable to the Indigenous people and local communities, including workers, can be implemented, along with tangible support for communities affected by the issues conveyed through this photo,” he said.
A freelance photojournalist with 12 years of experience, Yudha has documented sweeping change across resource-rich regions for CGSP, bringing the human cost of global supply chains into sharp focus.
