Wildscreen Partners with National Geographic on Expanded Field Ready Program

Nurturing the next generation of natural history, science and exploration storytellers

Wildscreen is excited to announce a new partnership with National Geographic to support the expansion of the Field Ready Program, a talent development initiative designed to nurture the next generation of natural history, science and exploration storytellers.

The collaboration will see Wildscreen join the programme as a curriculum partner, helping deliver training and mentorship for the 2026 cohort of emerging filmmakers and visual storytellers. We will contribute specialist expertise in natural world storytelling, providing advanced training in filmmaking and photography throughout the programme’s five-month journey.

Supporting the next generation of storytellers

The Field Ready Program was created by National Geographic to help early-career storytellers from historically underrepresented backgrounds build the skills and networks needed to work in global factual production. The programme combines mentorship, masterclasses and practical learning experiences with industry professionals to help participants break into natural history and exploration filmmaking.

Through our partnership, Wildscreen will help shape the learning experience by delivering specialist workshops and training sessions, ensuring participants gain practical insight into the craft of natural world storytelling and the realities of working in the field.

This collaboration builds on Wildscreen’s longstanding mission to democratise the creation of nature stories and support a more diverse and inclusive global storytelling community.

Expanding opportunities across the factual genre

For 2026, the Field Ready Program is expanding its scope to include additional factual genres beyond natural history, such as science, exploration, adventure and history storytelling. The expanded initiative also introduces a new cohort of emerging creatives selected to take part in the programme.

By partnering with National Geographic on the programme’s curriculum, Wildscreen will help ensure participants receive training that reflects the evolving landscape of natural world and factual storytelling.

A shared commitment to inclusive storytelling

At Wildscreen, we believe that diverse voices are essential to telling the stories of our planet. Our partnership with National Geographic reflects a shared commitment to supporting emerging storytellers from around the world and creating new pathways into the industry.

Together, we aim to equip the next generation of filmmakers, photographers and content creators with the skills, mentorship and opportunities they need to tell impactful stories about the natural world.

As the programme unfolds throughout 2026, we look forward to working closely with the Field Ready cohort and helping empower the storytellers who will shape the future of natural world storytelling.