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Gab Mejia
Born
Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines
Occupation(s)Photographer, Multidisciplinary Artist
FatherSaturnino Mejia

Gab Mejia is a Filipino conservation photographer based in Manila, Philippines.

The focus of Mejia's work is for the conservation of culture, forests, wetlands and wildlife.[1] He is a National Geographic Explorer, Nikon Asia Ambassador, and a columnist for The Manila Times.[1][2] In 2021, he was awarded the World Wide Fund For Nature International President's Youth Award.[3] Mejia was listed on the 2021 Forbes Under 30 List for The Arts in Asia for photography.[4] In 2023, he was awarded the Climate Pledge Fund grant by National Geographic Society to dig deeper into the interconnected complexities of the Philippine forests by illuminating the lives of environmental forest defenders.[5]

Personal life

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Mejia was fathered by Saturnino Mejia in the Philippines, and has three older siblings.[1][6] In 2011, he climbed his first international mountain in Malaysia in Mount Kinabalu.[1] He is a certified PADI scuba diver, and took on professional photography to document the interconnection of culture and nature in the Philippines.

Early life and education

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In 2016, he was selected to be part of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative for marine conservation in the United States Aid Oceans Workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia.[7]

Mejia completed his Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering specialising on research on Environmental and Energy Engineering in the University of the Philippines.[1][8] He co-authored an academic paper in the Wetlands Science Practice Journal (January 2020).[9] He joined environmental organisations such as the Marine Biological Society,[10] and was chosen as an Ambassador for Sustainability for the Eurail Europe on Track Program. In 2019, he joined the Jackson Wild Media Lab Fellowship in the Jackson Wild Summit for natural-history filmmaking and science communication.[1][11] He was accepted in the Emerging League Program Fellowship of the International League of Conservation Photographers in 2021.[12]

Photography

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Mejia has published photographic stories on National Geographic,[13] BBC, Vogue, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), CNN, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In 2023, he was awarded the global winner for the ArtPartner #CREATECOP28 Art Competition[14] for his documentary work entitled, the Passage of Storms, which delves into the long-lasting impact of super typhoons on local people, and serves as an elegy for all the many lives that have been lost and forgotten.[15] He exhibited photographs in ArtFair Philippines, Fotografiska Shanghai, and Photo London. He won the Global Wetlands Youth Photo Contest 2017 with his photo of the Gabaldon floodplain in Mt. Sawi, Nueva Ecija.[1][16]

He is a National Geographic Explorer, Nikon Asia Ambassador, and a columnist for The Manila Times.[1][2]

Social work

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In 2018, he received an Early Career-Grant from National Geographic Society. In 2018, he joined the World Wildlife Fund National Youth Council, and co-founded Youth Engaged in Wetlands (YEW).[17]

Mejia co-founded the international non-profit environment youth organization for the conservation of wetlands and migratory birds named Youth Engaged in Wetlands. In 2018, he joined the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in Dubai, UAE to involve the youth sector in the decision-making processes. Mejia is also part of the National Youth Council of the World Wide Fund for Nature, that engages youth through environmental education programs in schools around the Philippines. He has presented environmental stories in TEDx talks and other international platforms.[17] Mejia is a supporter of the Scarisbrick Hall Global Classroom.

Between 2018 and 2020, he worked in the Agusan Marshlands to document the struggles and progress of the Manobo Tribe in the Philippines amid climate change.[18][19] Additional projects include documenting the endangered wildlife such as the Tamaraw in the Philippines.[20]

In 2021, he has been awarded the World Wide Fund for Nature International President's Youth award.[21] Mejia is the first Filipino to win this environmental award.[3][1][22]

In 2024, he was selected by the Prince Albert II de Monaco Foundation as part of the Re.Generation Future Leaders Program of thirteen individuals, under the age of 35, represents a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise – from science and activism to entrepreneurship and media, among others. United by a shared passion for environmental protection, they are poised to become the architects of a sustainable future.[23]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Meet Gab Mejia, the Filipino photographer advocating for our wetlands". Rappler. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  2. ^ a b c Cua, Aric John Sy (2020-10-15). "Times columnist named to Tatler Asia's Top 400 Leaders Before 40". The Manila Times. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  3. ^ a b Eugenio, Ara (June 24, 2021). "Gab Mejia Makes History As the First Filipino to Receive WWF International President's Youth Award". Esquiremag.ph. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  4. ^ a b Grana, Rhia. "This Filipino 'Forbes 30 Under 30' honoree shoots pictures to protect the world's lakes, rivers". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  5. ^ "Meet the Next Five National Geographic Explorers Supported by the National Geographic Society's Collaboration with The Climate Pledge". National Geographic.
  6. ^ "Gabe Mejia's pictures paint a thousand words". l!fe • The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  7. ^ a b Sarfraz, Hafsah (2019-07-29). "Open Apertures, Open Minds: YSEALI Alum Photographs for Advocacy". Cultural Vistas. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  8. ^ "'사진'으로 환경 운동에 앞장서는 필리핀 대학생". Ebs (in Korean). Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  9. ^ "Meet the Team | Youth Engaged in Wetlands". YEW. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  10. ^ "Ocean advocate Alexandra Cousteau to youth: Earth's future lies with you". Rappler. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  11. ^ Arnold, Billy (2 October 2019). "Jackson Wild Media Lab creates stories, community". Jackson Hole News&Guide. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  12. ^ "New iLCP Emerging League Members! by International League of Conservation Photographers". Visura. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  13. ^ Francisco, Isabel Martel (2021-06-29). "Conservationist And Photographer Gab Mejia On Overcoming Your Fears On Assignment". Generation T. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  14. ^ "#CREATECOP28: Art Partner announces the winners of this year's edition". Vogue.
  15. ^ Milner, Daphne Chouliaraki. "Meet The Next Generation of Climate Storytellers".
  16. ^ Gonzales, Yuji Vincent (2017-04-24). "UP student wins int'l wetlands photo contest". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  17. ^ a b c Francisco, Isabel Martel (2021-04-16). "8 Filipino Photographers On The Gen.T List You Need To Know". Tatler Philippines. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  18. ^ "Meet the Gen Z Photographer Who Captures the Struggle Between Progress and Nature". Reportr.world. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  19. ^ Ichimura, Anri (November 17, 2020). "This Indigenous Tribe in Mindanao Could Teach Us All a Lesson About Living With-Not Against-Nature". Esquiremag.ph. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  20. ^ "How this Filipino photographer is documenting the effects of climate change". cnn. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  21. ^ Cua, Aric John Sy (2021-06-24). "Times columnist wins environmental award". The Manila Times. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  22. ^ "Filipino advocate is WWF's top youth conservation awardee". Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  23. ^ "THE PRINCE ALBERT II OF MONACO FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES THE 2024 RE.GENERATION FUTURE LEADERS COHORT". Prince Albert II Foundation.
  24. ^ https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2017/04/13/global-wetlands-youth-photo-contest-2017-winner-and-highly-commended-finalists/ , [1] Global Wetlands Youth Photo Contest 2017: Winner and Highly Commended Finalists. Retrieved February 02, 2021.
  25. ^ "Gab B Mejia - National Geographic Society". www.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  26. ^ "I AM MY NIKKOR - Gab Mejia". I AM MY NIKKOR. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  27. ^ "Gab Mejia". 15 October 2020.
  28. ^ https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200803005216/en/National-Geographic-Unveils-the-First-Field-Ready-Class , [2] National Geographic Unveils the First Field Ready Class. Retrieved February 02, 2021.
  29. ^ "National Geographic Unveils the First Field Ready Class". www.businesswire.com. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  30. ^ "National Geographic Unveils the First Field Ready Class". au.finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  31. ^ "Gab Mejia". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  32. ^ "Photographer Gab Mejia, 24, is First Filipino to Receive WWF Youth Prize". Reportr.world. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  33. ^ Sagun, Daphne. "Gab Mejia Highlights Filipino Coastal Communities In His #CreateCOP28 Winning Entry, 'The Passage of Storms'". Vogue Philippines.
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