To date there have been 10 cycles of the award, each of which has highlighted a particular facet of sustainability, such as water and growth.

The latest cycle featured the theme of human, with 12 photographers from all over the world entering the shortlist. Winner of the grand prize is Gauri Gill, a woman photographer from India. For more than 20 years she has been engaged closely with marginalized communities in the desert of western Rajasthan, and for the last decade with artists in Maharashtra.

Today the Prix Pictet has become "the biggest photography prize in the world in the area of environment and sustainability", said Laurent Ramsey, a managing partner of the Pictet Group, at the opening of the exhibition on Nov 21.