Wildscreen announces nominees for the first ever Photo Story Panda Award

Powerful stories of humanity’s increasing impact on nature, species on the brink of extinction and the dedication of wildlife carers, protectors and communities are told by the nominees of the first ever Wildscreen Photo Story Panda Award.

Wildscreen, the not-for-profit behind the world’s biggest festival of natural world storytelling – Wildscreen Festival – today announced the finalists for its inaugural Photo Story Award.  This new award joins the iconic suite of Panda Awards, celebrating the very best in international wildlife film, TV and content – the industry’s highest honour.

The Wildscreen Photo Story Panda Award showcases the very best in photographic narrative and recognises the engaging voices of young photographers through the addition of an Emerging Talent Category.

Sophie Stafford, Photo Panda Jury Chair, said: “The Wildscreen Photo Story Panda Award is in its inaugural year, yet the competition received an impressive number and diversity of submissions from around the globe.  Entrants ranged from early-career photographers just exploring the power of visual communication to great masters who excel in their craft.  The judges were delighted by the talent on show, and challenged by the task of whittling the entrants down to just three nominees in each category.  The final line-up was selected for originality, creativity and powerful or moving narratives.  I hope the Award will inspire more committed photographers to share their stories about the beauty and fragility of the natural world.”

From Friday 12 October to Thursday 8 November 2018, the nominees will be showcased in a free, large-scale, outdoor exhibition in the centre of Bristol, UK, shining a spotlight on globally important conservation issues and bringing world-class, inspiring photography to the public.

Overall winners will be revealed at the Wildscreen Panda Awards Ceremony which will take place on Friday 19 October at The Passenger Shed, Brunel’s Old Station, in Bristol.  The gala is the climax to the Wildscreen Festival, the biggest global gathering of natural world storytellers, which sees over 900 of the world’s leading filmmakers, photographers, broadcasters and content creators convene in Bristol for a week of business, film premieres and an unrivalled programme of 120 hours of content from more than 150 speakers from across the globe.  Keynote speakers include: Thomas Peschak, Adrian Steirn, Hans Zimmer, Gary Knell and Susanna Dinnage.  The craft of wildlife photography will be fully integrated into the DNA of the Wildscreen Festival in 2018, with the stellar speaker line-up on Thursday 18 – Friday 19 October featuring award-winning, global, photographic talent, including many of the nominees.