What we learnt at Science in Storytelling 2026

 

Highlights from Science in Storytelling 2026

That’s a wrap on Science in Storytelling 2026! Featuring a wide range of incredibly talented speakers, including scientists, science communicators, filmmakers, commissioners and more, we embarked on a journey to discover the best ways we can keep science in the spotlight in natural world storytelling.

Read on to find out our highlights from the two-day event!

 

The Power of Immersion

We kicked off Day One of Science in Storytelling 2026 with a deep dive into immersive technologies and how they are reshaping how audiences engage with science, and transforming stories from something we watch into something we experience.

“I think the primary opportunity lies in recognizing that the major difference between traditional formats and immersive formats is that you’re taking your audience from being a third person spectator to a first person witness… we are designing an experience that unfolds in real time for the person who’s watching.” – Ulrico Grech-Cumbo

 

Commissioning Science

We looked at where the landscape is now, how it’s changed and what’s coming next. From broadcast to digital, in a world shaped by AI and social media, the rules are shifting fast. From what makes an idea commissionable, to the balance between scientific rigor and compelling storytelling, and the role of talent and funding models in the future.

“There is a genuine skill in being able to take something incredibly complex and – not simplify it to a point where it’s meaningless – but simplify it to a point where you’ve got the absolute essence.” – Jonah Weston

 

Filmmaking for Policy Change

A powerful talk all about how storytelling can drive real world impact. We heard from the team at Environmental Justice Foundation and the Global Rewilding Alliance about their experience of creating films that connect with policymakers on a very human level, that then lead to conversations and eventually action to help change things for the better.

“Our kind of measure of success would be engaging emotions, making sure that anyone who is in touch with our material, is feeling something and hopefully something positive…and then there’s the element of practicality. Are we empowering people to do something after they have seen whatever communication material we put out?” – Manon Calas

 

Micro-Storytelling: Stephanie Sammann

This short talk from the creator of Real Science, a science YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers and 260 million views, packed so much vital information for anyone creating digital-first stories! Stephanie shared how she started her channel, what mistakes she made in the early days and what are some of the key lessons she’s learnt along the way about how to not only grab your audience’s attention but how to keep them coming back for each upload.

“And here’s my best tip for writers. If you want to really understand something, storyboard it. Draw it out. If you realize you can’t, it means you don’t understand it as well as you thought you did.” – Stephanie Sammann

 

Podcasting for Science

As we started off Day Two of Science in Storytelling, we were treated to this incredible talk from the Marion Atieno Osieyo, Creator and Host of Black Earth Podcast, Caz Watson, an Impact Producer who works on the podcast too, and Rutendo Shackleton, a Conservation Scientist & Presenter  for the Nature, Nurture & Nonsense Podcast. We heard about the power of podcasting to tell long-form stories and the unique impact potential it has.

“Podcasting is, by nature, long-form storytelling, it can sometimes create these more engaged and more meaningful connections with viewers than short-form content can.” – Caz Watson

We also learnt more about some of the issues that storytellers face, especially within the environmentalism space, and how Marion is working to lead with the voices that they’re seeking to represent, centring their perspectives, while also seeking to create a more just and balanced landscape in terms of the way that people are represented in the climate conversation.

“How do we move from this single hero narrative that we have in mainstream environmentalism, towards a collective view of taking action.” – Marion Atieno Osieyo

 

Pole to Pole: Behind the Scenes, Behind the Science

We heard from the team behind the National Geographic series ‘Pole to Pole with Will Smith’, including expedition leaders, scientists and filmmakers, to learn about the making of this epic production.

“If you’re trying to tell really compelling, really impactful stories about science, then find the people who know how to help you tell those stories. Find those partners, build that relationship and trust, and then come into that space open and excited.” – Allison Fong

 

Writing for Science

In two 20-minute sessions we heard from author and science communicator, Sophie Pavelle, and filmmaker and explorer, Ariel Waldman, about their approaches to writing for science. They offered practical tips and insights on how to turn complex science into stories that are clear, engaging, and memorable.

“…a question I always try and return to, whether it’s filming stuff like this, or books, or articles for newspapers or magazines, is; How do I want people to feel? How do I want the audience to feel? What emotions do I want to evoke when they’re watching this content? So it kind of makes me take a sensory approach that adds, I think, depth to a piece of work or a piece of science communication.” – Sophie Pavelle

“I think a lot of times when we think about science communication, people get very stuck on this idea of we’re translating science to a general public, we’re translating science to non-scientists. Your job, to me, is really viewing yourself as a liaison of being able to translate things into other things that people are really into, and sort of being able to be an ambassador of sorts between.” – Ariel Waldman

 

Micro-Storytelling: Sonya Lee & Jamie Zaccaria

In the last session of the day, we heard from Producer Director, Sonya Lee, and Media & Outreach Coordinator, Jamie Zaccaria, exploring how different approaches can make science engaging, accessible, and inclusive for diverse audiences.

“Social science has shown that building trust with your audience is one of the best ways to inspire behaviour change in your audience” – Sonya Lee

“Science communication is imperative to the scientific process and to the conservation process, because science doesn’t live in a bubble and neither do we.” – Jamie Zaccaria

 

Thank You

A huge thank you goes out to all our fantastic speakers as well as our amazing team who helped ensure the smooth running of the online event. And another big thanks goes out to our sponsor Save Our Seas Foundation for supporting the event.

Feedback

Feedback helps us to make future Wildscreen events the best they can be. If you attended Science in Storytelling 2026 we’d love to hear your thoughts via a short evaluation form found here.