Wildscreen Festival - Panda Awards

⭐General

The 22nd Panda Awards will take place on 22 October 2025 in Bristol, UK.

The Panda Awards ("Awards") are managed and presented by Wildscreen, a charity based at Unit 1.11, Temple Studios, Temple Gate, Bristol BS1 6QA ("Wildscreen") to celebrate and reward excellence in the craft of wildlife and environmental storytelling.

Submission of a film production to the Awards competition is subject to and conditional on the Entrant (defined below) accepting these Rules and Wildscreen does not accept any submission on any other basis whatsoever.

⭐Eligibility

The Awards are open to new or established broadcasters, film or television production companies/distributors and independent filmmakers from anywhere in the world ("Entrants"). All entries for the Awards are made subject to these Rules.

To be eligible, a film production ("Production") must:

have an aspect of the natural world as the central focus

be completed on or after 1 March 2024

not have been entered for a previous Panda Awards or Official Selection competition

be submitted by the producer or distributor of the film (or their authorised representative)

Productions entered into the Awards do not need to have been broadcast prior to their entry, nor do they need at the date of entry to have a future transmission date, but they can be available to watch online.

Productions in languages other than English are welcome but must be subtitled or dubbed into English. Alternatively, the screener copy must be accompanied by an English script with a time code. If nominated for an award or screening, a copy of the Production must be provided by the Entrant with English dubbing or subtitles.

Sponsorship of Productions may be acknowledged in copies submitted for the Awards but submission of copies of Productions incorporating advertising is not permitted.

Productions of all lengths, crew sizes and budgets are accepted in the Wildscreen Panda Awards. All of the above factors will be taken into consideration during the judging process.

⭐Entry Fees and Deadlines

Each category entry will incur a fee at the following rates:

Film Production Entry Fee*

(All categories excluding Emerging Talent and Series)
Earlybird
£66

Regular
£100

Late
£150

Series Entry Fee*
Earlybird
£150

Regular
£200

Late
£300

Emerging Talent & Short Category Entry Fee*

Earlybird
£30

Regular
£50

Late
£75

* Prices include VAT where applicable. A VAT invoice is available upon request for UK-based entries.

Please note that FilmFreeway offers a reduced-price fee for submitters who are subscribed to their Gold Membership plan.

Fees must be paid for the current deadline window at the time of submission via the FilmFreeway platform. Fees are charged in GBP Sterling and can be paid by credit/debit card or PayPal.

Submission fees are non-refundable.

Entry fees are only waived for entrants residing in a least economically developed country as defined by the UN. For the current list of eligible countries see:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/ldc_list.pdf

Dates

23 January 2025 Entries open at filmfreeway.com/WildscreenFestivalPandaAwards

25 February 2025 Earlybird submission deadline

17 April 2025 Regular submission deadline

13 May 2025 Late submission deadline

Mid-July 2025 Nominations announced

22 October 2025 Winners announced at Panda Awards Ceremony

⭐ Panda Award Categories

BEHAVIOUR AWARD
For the production that best reveals insights into the behaviour of, or the interactions between animals and/or plants.

Eligibility
Behaviour must be the main focus of the film.

CHILDREN’S AWARD

Nominations will be judged by a panel of children under the age of 16. The production does not have to have been specifically created for young audiences.

A specialist jury of between five to ten children and young people experts will judge this category. Entries may come from one off programmes or a series - although only one episode from a series may be submitted.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
For outstanding achievement in cinematography.
Eligibility
No more than 10 percent of the production should be comprised of archive footage.

EDITING
For outstanding achievement in editing.

EMERGING TALENT
In recognition of an individual or team demonstrating exceptional new talent in natural world storytelling and creative and visual flair in constructing their film.
Eligibility
Entrants must have not been employed in natural history production for more than 4 years. Productions made as part of a university or college course are eligible for this category.

IMPACT
For most effectively communicating an issue affecting the natural world and that is intended to deliver, or has already delivered, tangible impacts as a result.
Eligibility
Impacts may include, but are not limited to: behaviour change, audience reach, policy change and fundraising.
Additional material
Entrants are required to submit a brief narrative (maximum 500 words) outlining the tangible impacts and outcomes of the production. This should include qualitative and quantitative information.

IN-COUNTRY PRODUCTION

Given to the most outstanding production made on location in-country.

Eligibility

At least 50% of the production team should be in-country nationals.

INDEPENDENT FILM

For the best independent film with a budget of under £1.5m. Preference will be given to productions that have received less input from major production studios, or who have achieved an exemplary production even with a much smaller budget.

MUSIC
For outstanding achievement in the composition and use of original music.
Eligibility
A production will be eligible if more than 50 percent of its music is original composition created specifically for it.
Additional materials
Please upload a cue sheet as a supporting document on your FilmFreeway project. Your submission will not be complete until a cue sheet is obtained.

ON-SCREEN TALENT

In recognition of outstanding talent in front of the camera.

PRODUCER / DIRECTOR
For outstanding achievement in producing and/or directing a single production.

Eligibility

Each submission must highlight a specific episode if entering as part of a series.

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT TEAM

For outstanding achievement in teamwork spanning across the production management team to create an exceptional final production.

Eligibility

Each submission must highlight a specific episode if entering as part of a series.

Additional material
Entrants are required to submit a brief supporting statement (maximum 500 words) outlining the size of the production management team, budget, complexity of the production and how they collaboratively managed the project and overcame challenges to deliver the editorial ambition.

This award focuses on Production Management Team roles spanning Head of Production, Production Manager, Production Executives, Line Producer, Production Coordinator, Production Accountant and Production Management Assistants.

Entries should demonstrate excellence in financial, logistical and personnel management.

SCRIPTED NARRATIVE
For outstanding achievement in scriptwriting.
Additional materials
Please upload an English script as a supporting document on your FilmFreeway project. Your submission will not be complete until an English script is received.

SERIES
For outstanding achievement in a series about the natural world.
Eligibility
Entries must have a unified narrative, approach and/or theme with a finite number of episodes and include a minimum of three episodes. The series does not need to have been broadcast on television to be eligible.
Additional material
Entrants must nominate one episode from the series on the submission form and make the whole series available for viewing by the Jury by a service such as Vimeo or Dropbox (private viewing links are permitted). If Productions wish to nominate a different episode from the same series for another award category, this alternative episode must be entered into those categories as its own project. A synopsis of the complete series must also be provided, including the overarching aims of the series.

SHORT

For the best short production <20 mins including credits. Digital content is also suitable and encouraged.

SOUND
For outstanding achievement in the overall use of sound.

SUSTAINABILITY

For the best implementation of sustainable practices to reduce the environmental impact throughout the lifecycle of a production. This award does not relate to the editorial content of the production, e.g. a narrative that promotes Sustainability, but will instead consider the sustainability of the production practises themselves.

Additional material

Filmmakers can share carbon action reports and certifications as part of this submission but they are not required. Documents must be uploaded to the FilmFreeway project.

⭐ SPECIAL AWARDS

GOLDEN PANDA AWARD

All nominated films will be reviewed by the Final Jury, which will select the winner of each Panda Award category and one production as overall winner (the "Golden Panda Award"). The winners will be announced at the Panda Awards Ceremony in October 2025. Direct entries for this award cannot be made.

CHRISTOPHER PARSONS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This Award is named in honour of Wildscreen’s founder, Christopher Parsons. It is presented at the discretion of Wildscreen’s Board of Trustees and the international Wildscreen community. Direct entries for this award cannot be made but suggestions are always welcomed.

​​​FIELD CRAFT SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

This award recognises the skill, craft and importance of local, in-country field crew within the natural history genre. Nominated and judged by industry peers, the award will celebrate an individual such as a field guide, driver or local conservationist who has made a significant contribution to the industry spanning a number of years and productions.

Eligibility
Individuals must be nominated by an industry peer to be considered for this award.

The nominated individual must have worked on a minimum of three productions.

Additional ​​material
Applications are made through a form found on the FilmFreeway submission portal. The form will require a brief narrative (maximum 500 words) outlining the accomplishments of the outstanding field craft talent nominee, along with the nominee and nominator’s contact details, details of relevant production credits, relationship to the nominee, up to 2 testimonials from peers who have worked directly with the nominee to back up your nomination and their area of specialism(s), including but not limited to location, local knowledge, access, and species. The narrative should detail the unique skills, talent, and/or access that helped to deliver the editorial ambition across a minimum of three productions.

⭐ Platform

All Panda Award submissions will be accepted via FilmFreeway. Entrants are able to submit via FilmFreeway Wildscreen Festival Panda Awards. For information on how to use the platform please visit the FilmFreeway FAQs.

⭐ Submission Process

Entrants must create a separate FilmFreeway project for each Production and nominate it for consideration in one or more award categories.

All submissions must be accompanied by the required enclosures as follows:

completed online submission form, including production details, synopsis and credits and current contact details of Entrant

a screener copy of the Production

additional documents such as cue sheets or scripts uploaded to FilmFreeway project (if applicable)

payment of fees for submission of the Production for the Awards ("Fees")

Submission materials will not be returned. Wildscreen reserves the right to reject submissions that are incomplete.

Production partners: All partners involved in a Production must be credited in the submission form and it is the responsibility of the Entrant to notify all their Production partners of the submission. Wildscreen will assume in relation to each entry that all Production partners have agreed to the submission of the Production for the Awards. In the event that a number of different parties submit a single Production for the Awards, Wildscreen will notify all such parties that they must jointly determine the identity of a single authorised representative to act as Entrant for that Production.

Credits: When entering the Panda Awards Entrants must ensure that the individuals responsible are properly credited in the submission form.

Submission format: In order to reduce the awards’s carbon footprint and enable a smoother print traffic service, Wildscreen uses a digital film delivery platform and films must be submitted via online screener only.

Entry deadline: The official entry deadline for all submissions is 23:59 GMT on 13 May 2025.

Nominated productions: Additional materials will be required from nominated productions. Wildscreen requires a ProRes video file of each production, promotional stills, a time-coded English script and a 15 second clip for use at the Panda Awards Ceremony and for use within marketing and press materials.

⭐ Submission Materials

In addition to the information above, Entrants are required to submit a brief statement for each of their chosen award categories, which clearly describes the strengths and achievements of their production in relation to each category.

All entrants are asked to answer some general questions about the sustainability of their production and are encouraged to apply for the Sustainability Panda Award.

Media files: Wildscreen aims to provide the best possible viewing experience for the judging of your film. To achieve this, we ask you to provide a high-quality version of your video to be uploaded to FilmFreeway, or to supply a Vimeo link. As soon as you create a project in FilmFreeway you will be directed to your Project Page where you can easily upload your project file (up to 10GB) or link your video via Vimeo or YouTube.

To view a Project Page, go to My Projects in the main menu, then click View next to the appropriate project.

FilmFreeway accepts all major video formats in full quality HD up to 10 GB. We transcode videos for playback compatibility and performance and recommend that you use settings close to our output settings:

Maximum video bitrate: 2200 Kbps, H.264, mp4
Audio: 128 Kbps, AAC, 2 channel stereo
Aspect ratio preserved; maximum video height of 720 pixels

Wildscreen will contact the production submitter if there are any issues with the film file so please ensure that you have an individual identified as the submitter and a direct email address.

⭐ Judging process

There will be two rounds of judging.

All submissions received by the entry deadline will be reviewed by the Nomination Jury and the three Productions deemed to be the best by the Nomination Jury in each category will be nominated for the overall category award and put forward for consideration by the Final Jury.

All Entrants will receive notification of the outcome of the judging process by the Nomination Jury in July 2025 before any public announcement is made regarding nominated Productions.

All nominated films will be reviewed by the Final Jury, which will select the winner of each award category and one production as overall winner (the "Golden Panda Award"). The winners will be announced at the Panda Awards Ceremony on 22 October 2025.

Both the Nomination Jury and the Final Jury will comprise industry practitioners selected from a range of disciplines and countries, balanced in age, gender and experience and with a history of achievement in their field.

Members of both Juries are invited to serve by Wildscreen. Nomination and award decisions are made by the members of the Nomination Jury and Final Jury in their absolute discretion and by them alone and the Juries may in their discretion withhold an award in any category.

The Children’s Award will have a specialist jury of between five to ten children and experts, chaired by a nominated representative of Wildscreen. The Children’s Jury will select the three nominated productions and the overall category winner.

Due to the number of submissions received, Wildscreen cannot provide individual feedback or reasons for non-selection of any entry.

⭐ Prizes

A certificate of nomination and laurel will be sent to the authorised representative of each nominated Production.

Winners will be announced at the Panda Awards Ceremony to be held on 22 October 2025. The authorised representative of each Entrant with an award-winning Production will receive a Panda Award trophy, laurel and winner’s certificate.

Replica trophies and certificates will be available to order for an additional fee after the Awards Ceremony.

⭐ Use of Submission Materials

Screening: Entrants who have submitted Productions which have been nominated for an award will be asked to provide high quality screening copies (to be retained in Wildscreen’s archive) and for viewing by the Final Jury. Wildscreen can support a variety of screening formats and each nominee or selected Entrant will be contacted to discuss specific formats for such purposes.

No Production which has been nominated for an award may be withdrawn by an Entrant.

Film library: All submissions will be retained permanently by Wildscreen for educational and archival purposes. Wildscreen is entitled to make Productions available for viewing by Wildscreen Industry Summit delegates, taking place from 20-22 October, via an online film library (pre-, during and post-Summit for up to a three month period following the last day of the Summit) and for closed circuit playback of Productions, in whole or in part, to delegates, journalists, members of the public and others, invited to participate in the Summit. Wildscreen does not pay screening fees to Entrants.

Promotions: Wildscreen will seek to promote the Awards by featuring extracts from submissions on radio, television and any other form of audio-visual media including, but not limited to, the World Wide Web and digital media. Wildscreen will be entitled to use extracts from all submitted Productions for such promotions at no cost provided such extracts do not exceed 2 minutes of featured music or 3 minutes duration in total (in respect of any individual Production).

Film Production Images: Entrants warrant that Wildscreen is entitled to use all images they provide for promotional publicity throughout the world in all media without the requirement to credit such Production or any other person or make any payment in respect of such usage.

Editing: Wildscreen reserves the right to edit the information supplied by Entrants for use in publicity materials and online promotional materials.

Publicity: Wildscreen may contact Entrants whose submissions have been nominated for Awards or have won Awards to seek their assistance in the promotion of the Summit and publicity in regard to their Production.

Year-round screenings: Wildscreen is entitled to screen Productions to the public at not-for-profit events for an unlimited time. These screenings will be used to further Wildscreen's charitable mission to “connect people with nature through storytelling, and democratise the creation of and access to nature’s stories”. An audience admission fee may be levied for such screenings to cover venue charges or administration and Entrants acknowledge that they are not entitled to any payment in respect thereof.

⭐ Liabilities

In submitting a Production to the Awards competition each Entrant is deemed to have:

obtained all necessary clearances in respect of their Production relating to all materials, music, performances, scripts and underlying works embodied in such Production and to give Wildscreen a warrant to that effect.

all the necessary authority to make such submission in accordance with these Rules.

In the event of any dispute concerning credits or copyright in respect of a Production Wildscreen reserves the right to reject the submission in respect of such Production or withhold any nomination or award in respect of such Production until the dispute is resolved.

Each Entrant is deemed to indemnify and hold harmless Wildscreen, its judges, sponsors and partners, from and against all claims, demands, losses, damages, costs, liabilities, and expenses (including legal expenses), arising from Wildscreen's possession and use in accordance with these Rules of their submission to Wildscreen in connection with the Awards (including without limitation Productions, photographs, information and other materials).

Each Entrant acknowledges that circumstances may arise which are beyond the reasonable control of Wildscreen in which Wildscreen has to cancel the Awards and in such event no refunds of Fees will be payable.

Wildscreen's liability for death or personal injury arising from its negligence is not limited but any other liability of Wildscreen related to any submission (whether for breach of contract, or tort (including negligence) or breach of statutory duty or otherwise howsoever arising) is limited to the amount of the Fees paid by the Entrant in respect of such submission.

⭐ Marketing

Registration includes important submission updates which we will send you via email and subscription to our year-round e-news. Should you not wish to receive this information, or our year-round e-news, please click on unsubscribe at the bottom of the last email received. Submitters will be added to an event mailing list where they will be contacted with updates about the event. We will always respect your privacy and any personal communication between you and ourselves.

Contact
In the event of any queries please contact: 

Wildscreen
Unit 1.11
Temple Gate,
Bristol
BS1 6QA

e: awards@wildscreen.org

Terms and Conditions last updated 21/01/25