Photography Competition Open for Entries

Wildscreen has opened its call for entries for the prestigious Photo Story Panda Award, celebrating exceptional storytelling in wildlife photography.

Since 1982, the Panda Awards have celebrated the human endeavour, commitment and unique skill that it takes to tell nature’s stories. This year not only marks the 40th birthday of the Wildscreen Festival, but also their first ever hybrid festival. After the success of the virtual festival in 2020, Wildscreen’s festival this year seeks to make wildlife storytelling evermore accessible, celebrating films, photography and creators across the globe. 

“Despite unprecedented challenges over the past two years, our community of global storytellers have demonstrated the most inspired ingenuity and adaptability to continue revealing and sharing nature’s stories with global audiences. Nature has provided comfort and joy in uncertain times, with many forging new and deeper connections with it. We can’t wait to share those stories and celebrate the creatives behind them, as Wildscreen marks its 40th Birthday, this October. ” said Lucie Muir, Wildscreen CEO. 

Image description: Couple viewing photo board exhibition of 2018 Nominees in College Green, Bristol.

First introduced in 2018, the Photo Story Panda Award has recognised the craft of photography, cementing still imagery as a valued medium within the Wildscreen Festival. The wildlife industry, now more than ever, plays a crucial role in shining a light on the world’s most remote, inhospitable and threatened environments. 

In 2020, our Photo Story Winner, Brent Stirton, shone a light on the illegal pangolin trade; “I’m a journalist with a camera, so my first mission is to get the story. It’s my responsibility not to react to what I’m seeing but to get the pictures that can expand that story to a larger audience”.

Emerging Talent Photo Story Award

We are excited to celebrate the new voices in wildlife photography with our Emerging Talent Photo Story Award. This category allows hidden and up and coming talent under 30 years of age to be showcased and celebrated by an established jury of industry professionals. Past jurors have included Deputy Director of Photography at National Geographic Magazine, Kathy Moran, TV presenter and photographer Chris Packham, as well as other globally recognized and award winning photographers. This year’s jury is set to be announced in spring 2022. Emerging talent award entrants receive a 20% discount on their submission. 

Enter your Photo Story

Photographers are asked to submit a photo story consisting of 6 images relating to the natural world which have a clear and powerful narrative integrated through the series. The competition is open to both professional and amateur photographers worldwide (entrants must be over 18 years of age). 

Through our early bird period, entrants will receive a discounted submission fee of just £30 up until Thursday 24 February 2022. Our final submission date is the 14th of April 2022.

Discover more about the Photo Story Award.