Congratulations to all of the finalists! This year's submissions included over 1,000 category entries - a record number - competing for more than 30 awards. We are deeply grateful to our more than 250 international preliminary judges who together reviewed over 5,000 hours of media.
Best Animal Behavior Film - Long Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively explores animal behavior in a new, fresh, imaginative or authoritative way.
Sponsored by Disneynature
Sponsored by Disneynature
Best Animal Behavior Film - Short Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively explores animal behavior in a new, fresh, imaginative or authoritative way.
Sponsored by Animal Planet
Sponsored by Animal Planet
The Great Pretender
A film by Nardine Groch, Produced as part of the UWE Masters of Wildlife Filmmaking course. |
Unraveling the Monarch Butterfly Migration Mystery | It's Okay to be Smart
PBS Digital Studios, Spotzen |
Whales and SETI
A Rebel Media Productions film, made in partnership with Long Story Short Media, in association with The Templeton World Charity Foundation. |
Best Ecosystem Film
Awarded to the program that most effectively explores a unique habitat and its wildlife.
Sponsored by Terra Mater
Sponsored by Terra Mater
Best Earth & Sky Film
Awarded to the film that best explores the science of planet earth and the cosmos beyond. Relevant disciplines include Geology, Paleontology, Oceanography, Astronomy and Meteorology.
Sponsored by: WGBH
Sponsored by: WGBH
Best Conservation Film - Long Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively contributes to an awareness of timely and relevant conservation issues and/or solutions.
Sponsored by International Fund for Animal Welfare
Sponsored by International Fund for Animal Welfare
Best Conservation Film - Short Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively contributes to an awareness of timely and relevant conservation issues and/or solutions.
Sponsored by Conservation International
Sponsored by Conservation International
Best People & Nature Film - Long Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively explores the interdependent relationship between humans and animals or the environment.
Sponsored by: The Nature Conservancy
Sponsored by: The Nature Conservancy
Sea of Shadows
Terra Mater Factual Studios in association with Appian Way, Malaika Pictures, The Wild Lens Collective for National Geographic Documentary Films |
The Biggest Little Farm
NEON and LD Entertainment present a FarmLore Films production in association with Diamond Docs and Impact Partners & Artemis Rising |
The Serengeti Rules
Passion Planet/HHMI Tangled Bank Studios |
Best People & Nature Film - Short Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively explores the interdependent relationship between humans and animals or the environment.
Sponsored by: BBC Studios
Sponsored by: BBC Studios
Best Changing Planet Film - Long Form
Awarded for the best examination of our changing planet, including human impact, the environment, sustainability and climate change.
Sponsored by Love Nature
Sponsored by Love Nature
Best Changing Planet Film - Short Form
Awarded for the best examination of our changing planet, including human impact, the environment, sustainability and climate change.
Sponsored by: Smithsonian Channel
Sponsored by: Smithsonian Channel
Best Science in Nature Film - Long Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively incorporates science, the scientific method and scientific discovery into an understanding of some aspect of the natural world.
Sponsored by Marco Polo Film AG
Sponsored by Marco Polo Film AG
700 SHARKS
ARTE France, Le cinquième rêve, Andromède Océanologie, Les gens bien productions, Filmin'Tahiti, CNRS Images, with the participation of FranceTélévisions, National Geographic Wild, Ushuaia TV, Ici Explora, ARTE Distribution, Le CNC, La Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, La Polynésie française. |
Laws of the Lizard
Day's Edge Productions for Smithsonian Channel |
The Kingdom: How Fungi Made Our World
Smith & Nasht, Real to Reel Productions In association with CuriosityStream, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ZDF/ARTE, SVT Sweden |
The Serengeti Rules
Passion Planet/HHMI Tangled Bank Studios |
Best Science in Nature Film - Short Form
Awarded to the program that most effectively incorporates science, the scientific method and scientific discovery into an understanding of some aspect of the natural world.
Sponsored by National Geographic Society
Sponsored by National Geographic Society
Best Impact Film - Long Form
Awarded to the film that most effectively celebrates the impact of individuals, groups, organizations or movements committed to the protection, awareness or understanding of a species, ecosystem or some other aspect of the natural world.
Sponsored by ORF
Sponsored by ORF
Best Impact Film - Short Form
Awarded to the film that most effectively celebrates the impact of individuals, groups, organizations or movements committed to the protection, awareness or understanding of a species, ecosystem or some other aspect of the natural world.
Sponsored by: Netflix
Sponsored by: Netflix
Best Educational/Institutional Film
Awarded to the non-broadcast or commercially distributed program that most successfully educates its audience on some aspect of the natural world. This includes projects created by government agencies, NGOs, universities and other institutions.
Sponsored by: PBS
Sponsored by: PBS
Best Limited Series Film - Long Form
Awarded to the mini-series with episodes longer than 20 minutes in length, that most effectively advances a natural history theme.
Sponsored by: RED Digital Cinema
Sponsored by: RED Digital Cinema
Blue Planet II
BBC Studios Natural History Unit |
Okavango - River of Dreams
A TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS / WILDLIFE FILMS production in co-production with THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC, DOCLIGHTS/NDR NATURFILM in association with PBS, CPB, ARTE FRANCE / Unité Découverte et Connaissance and SVT |
Our Planet
A Silverback Films Production for Netflix |
Best Limited Series Film - Short Form
Awarded to the mini-series with episodes shorter than 20 minutes in length, that most effectively advances a natural history theme.
Sponsored by: ARRI
Sponsored by: ARRI
Best Engaging Youth Film
Awarded to the program that most effectively inspires an appreciation of the natural world, or issues associated with animals and the environment to young people 6-12 years of age.
Sponsored by: Discovery
Sponsored by: Discovery
Best Host/Presenter Led Film
Awarded to the program that makes the most effective use of a host or presenter in communicating an appreciation and understanding of the natural world.
Sponsored by: Vulcan Productions
Sponsored by: Vulcan Productions
Best Micro-Movie Film
Awarded to the most effective and compelling project under five minutes in length (including PSAs, music videos, and campaigns), that best advances an appreciation or understanding of the natural world.
Sponsored by: Seeker
Sponsored by: Seeker
Best Theatrical Film
Awarded to the program created for commercial distribution that best advances an appreciation or understanding of the natural world. This category includes programs distributed in theaters, BluRay/DVD or streamed via the internet.
Sponsored by: Off the Fence
Sponsored by: Off the Fence
Free Solo
National Geographic Documentary Films Presents A Little Monster Films Production, an Itinerant Media Production and a Parkes+MacDonald/Image Nation Production |
Human Nature
Wonder Collaborative, News & Guts Films, Sandbox Films |
Sea of Shadows
Terra Mater Factual Studios in association with Appian Way, Malaika Pictures, The Wild Lens Collective for National Geographic Documentary Films |
The Serengeti Rules
Passion Planet/HHMI Tangled Bank Studios |
Best Student & Emerging Film
Presented in recognition of the best program produced by either a first-time filmmaker in the field of natural history production, or a student currently enrolled or no more than 2 years out of an academic program.
Sponsored by: HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
Sponsored by: HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
Best 360° Storytelling
Awarded to the best natural history program created for the immersive platform of Virtual Reality.
Sponsored by: USC Cinematic Arts
Sponsored by: USC Cinematic Arts
Everest VR: The Movie Experience
Jonathan Griffith Productions, Legend 3D, Vulcan Productions |
Greenland Melting
FRONTLINE, Emblematic Group, NOVA, xRez Studio, Realtra |
My Africa
A Passion Planet Production in association with Vision 3 for Conservation International |
Polar Obsession
Black Dot Films VR for National Geographic |
Best Visualization Film
Awarded for the cinematography or computer generated visual storytelling that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part.
Sponsored by: Fujifilm and Fujinon Lenses
Sponsored by: Fujifilm and Fujinon Lenses
Blue Planet II: The Deep
BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Cinematographer: Gavin Thurston |
Dynasties: Chimpanzee
BBC Studios Natural History Unit, BBC America, Tencent, France Télévisions, CCTV9, Cinematographers: John Brown, Mark MacEwen |
Our Planet: One Planet
A Silverback Films Production for Netflix |
The Serengeti Rules
Passion Planet/HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Cinematographer: Tim Cragg |
Best Editing Film
Awarded for the editing that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part.
Sponsored by: Sony Electronics
Sponsored by: Sony Electronics
Blue Planet II: One Ocean
BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Editor: Matthew Meech |
Dynasties: Chimpanzee
BBC Studios Natural History Unit, BBC America, Tencent, France Télévisions, CCTV9, Editor: Nigel Buck |
Kifaru
Vs. Goliath Visual, Ragtag Tribe Films, Editor: Andrew Harrison Brown |
The Biggest Little Farm
NEON and LD Entertainment present a FarmLore Films production in association with Diamond Docs and Impact Partners & Artemis Rising, Editor: Amy Overbeck |
Best Writing Film
Awarded for the writing that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part through the union of imagery, story line, dialog and narration.
Sponsored by: National Geographic
Sponsored by: National Geographic
Attenborough´s Ant Mountain
A production of TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS in association with BBC and ABC Australia produced by AMMONITE LTD., Writers: Martin Dohrn, Joe Loncraine |
Cute little Killers
A TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS production, Writer: Ruth Berry |
Sex, Lies and Butterflies
A Production of TERRA MATER FACTUAL STUDIOS and CONEFLOWER PRODUCTIONS in co-production with THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET, Writer: Janet Hess |
Best Audioscape
Awarded for the combined contribution of sound editing, musical score, production mixing and post-production mixing that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part.
Sponsored by: Television Academy Sound Peer Group
Sponsored by: Television Academy Sound Peer Group
Cuba's Wild Revolution
A Crossing the Line Film for ORF Universum, PBS Nature, France Télévisions, BBC, SVT, RTÉ, ORF-Enterprise and WNET/Thirteen Productions LLC Sound Mixer: Paul Finan, Original Music: Badhands |
Epic Yellowstone: Life on the Wing
Grizzly Creek Films for Smithsonian Channel, Composer: David Majzlin, Sound Design: Brian Eimer |
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
Elisabeth Tova Bailey Snail Sound Substrate Recordings: JT Bullitt; Traditional Sound Recordists: JT Bullitt, Col Anderson, Lang Elliott, Steve Wilkes, The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and their individual recordists Sound Design: Luke Dunn Gielmuda Sound Editors: Caleb Townsend, Rachel Wardell Sound Mixer: Skip Lievsay, Warner Bros-NY |
Wild Shetland: Scotland's Viking Frontier
Maramedia, Sound Editors: Kate Hopkins, Owen Shirley, Mitch Dorf, Original Music: Fraser Purdie |
Special Jury
Special Jury Nominations honor programs that stood out to our preliminary judges as worthy of special recognition for some aspect or strength outside of the standard category criteria.
Inventing Tomorrow
A Fishbowl Films Production in association with Motto Pictures, 19340 Productions, Shark Island Institute, HHMI | Tangled Bank Studios. |
Our Gorongosa
Gorongosa Media and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios |
The Most Unknown
Sandbox Films, VICE Media, Wicked Delicate |
The River and The Wall
Rio Grande Film |
Special Jury: Foreign Language
Special Jury Nominations honor programs that stood out to our preliminary judges as worthy of special recognition for some aspect or strength outside of the standard category criteria — Produced by people local to the area of focus addressed by the film for a local audience in the local language.