Judging is underway for the 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards, and we recently caught up with those who will be deciding this year’s winners - our judging panel!

Read on to discover more about wildlife cinematographer and Director of BWPA Will Nicholls - including his top tips for entering the competition!

What inspired you to take up nature photography, why did you choose to make it your career and what do you love most about it?

I first started photography aged 12, having moved to the Northumberland countryside in England. My first photographs were some very blurry sheep images, but I immediately caught the bug.

Saving up some pocket money, I bought myself a £60 Fujifilm compact camera and kept shooting. A couple of years later, I won the Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year in the first ever year of BWPA.

Almost 20 years later, and I’m now a wildlife cameraman shooting natural history documentaries around the world — photography has not only been a big part of my life, but it has shaped it entirely. I am extremely thankful that I maintain a connection to nature through my work, and hope that through my documentary work, I can do the same for others and the upcoming generations.

Tell us about a highlight and a lowlight of your career

A highlight of mine has to be shooting the cheetah episode for the Netflix/Sky documentary Predators, voiced by Tom Hardy.

Over 15 weeks, we followed a brotherhood of cheetahs through the Serengeti and captured some wonderful moments. The episode was entirely character-driven, focused on individual animals — this greatly contrasts with the usual “magazine show” nature documentaries that jump from animal to animal. Being able to focus on one subject for an hour-long program is a fantastic opportunity to develop the store. For this, I received a BAFTA nomination for cinematography — that was absolutely a career highlight.

Conversely, the lowlight has got to be the years of struggle I spent breaking into an incredibly difficult industry. Earning the trust of productions to take you overseas and bet on your ability is not easy, but I am thankful to those who gave me my chance eventually.

BWPA 15 is now closed.

View last year’s winners in our gallery
**2026 Winners**

If you could go back to when you were just starting out, what advice would you give yourself?

Just to keep at it. There have been plenty of times where self-doubt, mental exhaustion, and imposter syndrome made me want to quit trying to make it in this industry. But persistence paid off, and whilst it is still a bumpy road as a freelancer, it is worth it when you’re out there in the wild behind the camera.

What is your favourite British species, landscape or habitat to photograph and why?

Red squirrel.

This will be no secret to anyone who has seen my images of UK wildlife. I grew up in Northumberland and spent a lot of time involved in red squirrel conservation, and photographing them was a huge part of the foundation of my career.

I love their personalities, and continue to enjoy filming rodent species over some of the bigger mammals.

Show us your favourite photo that you have ever taken - why is it your favourite and what is the story behind it?

It would have to be this image of a cheetah over its hard-earned zebra carcass. I love the contrast of spots and stripes, and the image has great memories for me.

Which BWPA category is your favourite and why?

The Youth Award has a special place in my heart, having been part of it as a youngster. I love seeing the work of upcoming photographers from the younger generation, and meeting those passionate individuals who are on a lifelong path of working with animals and in nature.

In the adult competition, I think all categories have their strengths. Recently, I’m particularly enjoying the ‘Black and White’ category — there’s definitely been an increased interest in that category. I enjoy seeing photographers working with the format and understanding why an image should be monochrome, versus just flicking a switch in editing for the sake of it. People are getting really creative, and it’s awesome to see!

You can see the full list of BWPA Categories here.

What are your top tips and advice to entrants - how can they make their images stand out?

There are three things that make a great image, in my opinion: Story, Creativity, and Technical Excellence. An award-winning image almost always incorporates all three of these elements, or two of them very strongly.

There’s no score chart against those values, but look at any of our winners, and you’ll see that the terms apply.

My biggest piece of advice is to go out into the wild knowing the kind of images you want to produce. Have styles, concepts, and frameworks in your mind of what you want to create. Even if opportunities arise that mean you stray from your “plan,” having that creative direction keeps you focused and really improves results.

Will is joining our other wonderful judges on the panel for the 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards.

Entries for this year’s competition are now closed and judging is underway!

Updates will be shared on our socials and in our newsletter.

BWPA 15 Judge Spotlight: Will Nicholls