Rising Star Award

2024 Rising Star Award: Ryan Wilkes

Sponsored by HHMI Tangled Bank Studios

Ryan Wilkes is an award-winning Jamaican Canadian storyteller whose passion for science, conservation and wildlife is reflected in his work as a documentary director, cinematographer and photographer.

His diverse background, which includes a PhD in Bioengineering and experience as a materials scientist, gives him a unique perspective when it comes to communicating complex scientific topics in an accessible and engaging way. He regularly shares his work with a community of over 150k on @itsryanwilkes across various social media platforms.

Ryan has filmed on all seven continents and his cinematography can be seen in many nature and science documentaries made for major networks including CBC, PBS NOVA, ARTE, and renowned factual producer HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. He most recently produced and directed a short documentary, The Bird in my Backyard, for CBC and the film is a Finalist at the 2024 Jackson Wild Media Awards. He has received several awards for his independent short documentaries, is an alumnus of the Jackson Wild Media Lab and the Being Black in Canada filmmaking program, and is a member of the Canadian Conservation Photographers Collective.

Ryan is a published photographer and has received several awards for his wildlife photography. In 2022 he won the Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (Aquatic Life) for his work capturing western terrestrial garter snakes hunting in the Salish Sea.