Judges
Our judges.
Neil Aldridge
Neil Aldridge is the winner of the 2011 British Wildlife Photography Awards ‘Documentary Series’ category. As a photojournalist, Neil works on conservation stories that showcase controversial and endangered wildlife and debate man’s relationship with these creatures and their environments. His work is influenced by his years growing up in Southern Africa and by his time working in the UK conservation sector. He is also a professional wildlife guide and runs photo safaris to Africa and Europe. These field skills used in guiding play a central role in the success and enjoyment of his photography. In 2011, after three years of writing and photographing, he published his first book Underdogs: the fight to save South Africa’s wild dogs.
Greg Armfield
Photographic and Film Manager, WWF-UK
Greg Armfield is the photographic and film manager for WWF-UK. He has worked in the photographic industry for ten years, combining both the NGO sector (National Trust and WWF) and private sector (Emap and Construction Photography). He has worked in all facets of the industry, from artistic director (Construction Photography), photographer, editor and commissioner. He has also worked for WWF for the last four years, originally heading up the photographic department but now also leading on film. He is responsible for all photo commissions.
David Fidler
Pro Imaging Account Manager, Canon UK
David has worked in the photographic industry both commercial and retail for over 12 years, however for the past seven years working for Canon UK Ltd. As a Professional Imaging Account Manager he is responsible for driving business in the nature and wildlife market and working with some of the UK's top photographers.
Danny Green
Danny is a multi award winning photographer based in the UK. Although Danny travels widely to many locations worldwide in search of images he has a deep passion for the natural history of the British Isles. Danny is represented by leading agencies including Naturepl, RSPB Images and NHPA. Over the past seven years he has been working on a book about the fauna and flora of northern Europe, due to be published later this year. Danny also leads workshops and trips for Natures Images, one the country's leading wildlife photography tour operators.
Sue Herdman
Magazine Editor, The National Trust
Sue Herdman is a journalist who started her career as a feature writer working for broadsheets including The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Times and the Guardian. In 1998 she moved to magazine production, working as a Features and Commissioning Editor for BBC Worldwide magazines. She is currently the Editor of The National Trust Magazine, which this year marks 78 years in production and holds the sixth highest magazine circulation figure in Britain, with 3.6 million readers.
Stephen Moss
Naturalist, TV Producer, Broadcaster, Author and Journalist
A lifelong naturalist, Stephen is one of Britain’s leading nature writers, broadcasters and natural history television producers. During a BBC career spanning 30 years, based mainly at the Natural History Unit in Bristol his series included the BAFTA award-winning Springwatch, Big Cat Diary, Birding with Bill Oddie, The Nature of Britain and Birds Britannia. He has written more than 20 books, including A Bird in the Bush (a social history of birdwatching), This Birding Life, A Sky Full of Starlings and The Bumper Book of Nature. His latest book is Wild Hares and Hummingbirds: the natural history of an English village, and he also writes a regular monthly column on birdwatching for the Guardian. Stephen also appears frequently on BBC Radio Four, including the Today programme, and has presented several radio series on British birds and their songs.
Andy Rouse
Andy Rouse is one of the most well-known British wildlife photographers, with 15 books to his name and regular contributions of photographs and photographic advice to newspapers and magazines. For seven years in a row, he has been commended and won 9 prizes in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, a feat not achieved by any other British wildlife photographer and few worldwide. He is considered to be one of the top wildlife photographers alive today and has a huge following in almost every country of the world.
Andy was presenter of a 13-part series on wildlife photography for Channel 5 / Animal Planet. He regularly gives theatre shows, workshops for budding photographers and takes clients on expeditions to all corners of the globe. His last two books, on tigers and mountain gorillas, have raised considerable sums of money for conservation, he partners Paramo Directional Clothing with their Aspira Conservation Fund and he is currently involved in the 2020Vision project to showcase the UK's fragile ecosystems. Always at the forefront of his business he is currently working on a video on demand training website to pass on his knowledge to other photographers. He seeks to inspire others to love the natural world that he sees disappearing around him and his one goal in life is to make a difference.
Diane Smyth
Deputy Editor of the British Journal of Photography
Diane Smyth is the deputy editor of the British Journal of Photography, one of the oldest photography magazine in the world. She has also written on photography for Aperture, Photomonitor, Guardian.co.uk, Thetimes.co.uk, The Telegraph’s Telephoto site, Creative Review and Philosophy of Photography. Diane has reviewed portfolios at the Rhubarb-Rhubarb International Photographic Review, The Whitechapel Gallery, the National Media Museum and University College Falmouth, and helped judge the National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize in 2009.
Christina Vaughan
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Image Source
Christina Vaughan, brings more than 22 years of experience in the creation, distribution and marketing of commercial imagery to Image Source, an online fully digitized company that trades directly through the Internet as well as through an extensive network of more than 200 photo agencies in over 80 countries worldwide. Christina sets the Vision for Image Source as well as managing investor relationships with the institutional shareholder in the business.
Christina has extensive experience as a panellist and industry commentator and has played an active role in leadership and direction on several industry trade bodies including PACA, ASPP and BAPLA. Christina is the current President of the European Trade Body, CEPIC, which represents over 1000 picture sources in Europe. Her awards include:
2009 AWA Entrepreneur of the Year - Winner
2008 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Semi-Finalist
2005 Everywoman Award, Athena Award - Finalist
2005 Lloyds TSB First Woman Award for Media - Finalist
Christina is a Mentor for The Next Women, an Ambassador for Everywoman, President of CEPIC and Immediate Past Vice President of PACA.
Steve Watkins
Editor, Outdoor Photography Magazine
Steve is an award-winning travel photographer, and writer and editor of Outdoor Photography Magazine. He has worked closely with the BBC in creating travel programmes and has written BBC books including 'Unforgettable Journeys to Take Before you Die'. Steve has walked on the wild side for twenty years as an adventurer and travel photographer. In the past eight years he has shot 120,000 images in 65 countries.
Paul Wilkinson
Head of Living Landscape, The Wildlife Trusts
As his role indicates, Paul Wilkinson leads on, and supports, the achievement of The Wildlife Trusts' vision to create A Living Landscape, which has the restoration of the natural environment at its heart. Paul's interest in wildlife photography was rekindled through this recovery plan for nature, championed since 2006, to create a resilient and healthy environment rich in wildlife. He is looking for the ultimate shot which captures the inextricable connection between people and the natural environment.
Paul previously worked as the Director of Regional Policy for The Wildlife Trusts in the East of England, during which time he was a member of the East of England Regional Assembly and chaired the region's Biodiversity Forum for six years. Paul is a Member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.
Mark Ward
Mark is the Editor of the RSPB’s Birds magazine. He has been writing about birds and nature from a young age - his first feature appeared in Birdwatch magazine when he was 15. Mark has enthused many people about wildlife through his writing in titles including Bird Watching, Natural World and Country Walking; his newspaper columns, and books including “Bird Identification and Fieldcraft: a Birdwatcher’s Guide” published by New Holland.
Mark is a very keen birdwatcher and has seen close to 500 species of birds in the UK. His passion extends to all nature though and his ambition is to see as many species of wildlife in the UK as possible in his lifetime. He has also travelled widely around the world in pursuit of wildlife, from Canada, Brazil and Ecuador to Kenya, India and Australia.
Mark lives in Cambridgeshire where he is currently enjoying transforming his new garden into a wildlife haven.
David Watchus
David Watchus vision, as Publisher at the AA, is to build on AA Media¹s strong base in travel, leisure, lifestyle and map and atlas publishing, areas in which the AA has many market-leading titles, while increasing the presence of AA Media in the wider non-fiction market.
David¹s involvement in the British Wildlife Photography Awards is core to this vision and is also indicative of the quality of both production ideals and editorial integrity that is the cornerstone of the book-publishing ethos within AA Media.