Wildscreen has revealed the 70 nominees for the Panda Awards 2026 for natural world storytelling.

National Geographic tops the list, receiving 15 nominations spanning 11 of the 18 awards categories, across both National Geographic and National Geographic Documentary Films.

National Geographic’s Secrets of the Bees, produced by Silverback Films, uses groundbreaking filming technology to reveal the extraordinary world of bees. Executive Produced by James Cameron and hosted by National Geographic Explorer, Bertie Gregory, the show is recognised across Behaviour, Children’s, Cinematography and Editing.

National Geographic Documentary Films’, Time and Water is nominated across Cinematography, Editing, Music and Scripted Narrative. Directed by the Academy Award-nominated Sara Dosa (Fire of Love), the documentary is a poetic love letter to glaciers. Tasked to write the eulogy for Okjökull, the first glacier to be declared dead due to climate change, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason reflects on how glaciers create an archive of deep time within their ice over millions of years. Time and Water is produced by Signpost Pictures in association with Compass Films.

Also recognised across four categories, Chameleon Corridors, tells the story of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains, narrated through the eyes of an endemic chameleon. Produced by AFRISOS, a fully Tanzanian production team, the film bends the genres between character-driven documentary and natural history storytelling and is nominated for Emerging Talent (Jigar Ganatra), Impact, Children’s and Short.

The BBC received 11 nominations across the longlist, the second most nominations for a broadcaster/platform, including commissions made to mark Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday earlier in the year – Wild London (Passion Pictures) and Secret Garden (Plimsoll Studios).

The BBC’s Tiger Island secured a total of three nods, alongside National Geographic’s Pole to Pole. Tiger Island, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and nominated for Behaviour, Sound and On-screen talent, follows a ground-breaking team of wildlife filmmakers and big cat experts as they reveal the secret lives of tigers thriving on an extraordinary, forested island in Nepal.

National Geographic’s Pole to Pole, produced by Nutopia, Westbrook Studios and Protozoa, follows Will Smith across all seven continents, where he faces extreme challenges, explores world-first science and reveals deep human connections to nature. It is nominated across Series, Cinematography and On-Screen Talent.

This year’s awards also sees the introduction of the Digital-First Category to recognise the importance of digital-first storytelling in diversifying the stories of nature being told, the storytellers and the audiences being reached. The inaugural nominees are: Bloomin’ Octopus, Conservation Entangled on Mongabay, Filming Madagascar’s Rarest Animals and Nature Ain’t A Luxury.

The winners will be announced at the Panda Awards ceremony which will takes place on 22 October 2026 at the Apex Hotel in Bath, UK, the closing event of the Wildscreen Festival. The charity previously announced that the 2026 edition will move to the historic city of Bath from Bristol after 44 years, to ensure the Festival remains affordable for both the charity and its attendees.

The full list of nominees across the18 categories 

Behaviour Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by ORF
Secrets of the Bees: The Hive
National Geographic’s SECRETS OF THE BEES, produced by Silverback Films.
UK

Tiger Island
A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production for BBC and PBS with the WNET group.
UK

HumanLike: The Chimps of Fongoli
Produced by Passion Planet in association with The WNET Group for Love Nature.
UK

Orangutan
A Wildstar Films production for Disneynature.
UK

Children’s Panda Award Nominees

Secrets of the Bees: The Hive
National Geographic’s SECRETS OF THE BEES, produced by Silverback Films.
UK

Wowsabout
The Jim Henson Company for PBS KIDS.
USA

Chameleon Corridors
A MyWorld Film Grant film by AFRISOS in co-production with Schoolyard Films and Amberjack Films.
Tanzania

Deadly 60 – Secretive Puma Special
A BBC Studios Natural History Unit Production for CBBC.
UK

Cinematography Panda Award Nominees

Secrets of the Bees: The Hive
National Geographic’s SECRETS OF THE BEES, produced by Silverback Films.
UK
Cinematography: John Brown, Alastair MacEwen

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough
A Silverback Films production for Netflix in association with Appian Way.
UK
Cinematography: Ben Cherry, Ewan Dryburgh, Benjamin Sadd, Toby Strong

Pole to Pole
A Westbrook Studios, Nutopia, and Protozoa series for National Geographic.
UK
Cinematography: Lars Skree

Time and Water
National Geographic Documentary Films and Sandbox Films In Association with Ninmah Foundation, A Signpost Pictures Production, In Association with Compass Films.
USA
Cinematography: Pablo Alvarez-Mesa

Digital-First Panda Award Nominees

Nature Ain’t A Luxury
A MyAccomplice & Nature Ain’t A Luxury Ltd production in association with the Wildlife Trust, European Climate Foundation & DocSociety.
UK

Filming Madagascar’s Rarest Animals
Directed, filmed, edited and presented by Libby Penman. Sponsored by MPB.
UK

Bloomin’ Octopus
UK

Conservation Entangled on Mongabay
Produced by Izzy Sasada for Mongabay.
UK, Malaysia

Editing Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by HOME Post Production

Ghost Elephants
National Geographic Documentary Films in Association with Sobey Road Entertainment and A Skellig Rock Production.
Angola, Namibia
Editing: Marco Capalbo

Secrets of the Bees: The Hive
National Geographic’s SECRETS OF THE BEES, produced by Silverback Films.
UK
Editing: Matt Meech,Jacob Parish

Kingdom: Episode 1. Four Crowns, One Kingdom
A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production, co-produced with BBC America, for the BBC.
UK
Editing: Angela Maddick

Time and Water
National Geographic Documentary Films and Sandbox Films In Association with Ninmah Foundation, A Signpost Pictures Production, In Association with Compass Films.
USA
Editing: Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput, and Mark Harrison

Emerging Talent Panda Award Nominees

I’ll Need to Leave For a Little While
A collaborative project between Malaysian and Vietnamese filmmakers, supported by the Studio Bluegreen Fund.
Malaysia, Vietnam
Emerging Talent: Myles Storey

Wildermiss
An independent film by Anouk Suntjens.
Netherlands
Emerging Talent: Anouk Suntjens

A Special Little Fish
Produced by Plankton Productions for CBC Short Docs.
Canada
Emerging Talent: Sonya Lee

Chameleon Corridors
A MyWorld Film Grant film by AFRISOS in co-production with Schoolyard Films and Amberjack Films.
Tanzania
Emerging Talent: Jigar Ganatra

Impact Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by Save Our Seas Foundation

Rhapsody on the Outlaw Ocean
An Outlaw Ocean Project Production.
USA

Chameleon Corridors
A MyWorld Film Grant film by AFRISOS in co-production with Schoolyard Films and Amberjack Films.
Tanzania

The Bottom Line
Blue Marine Foundation and Atomized Studio Production
UK

Wild East
A Maia Wikler & Sideyard Studios Production
Romania

In-Country Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by BBC Studios Natural History Unit

Frost without Snow and Ice
Produced by Arctic Light. In co-production with Lofoten Film Collective and Westdeutscher Rundfunk in collaboration with ARTE. Financed in collaboration with Dr Sales.
Norway

A Day on Earth
An If Not Us Then Who? production, in partnership with Earth Alliance.
Worldwide – 27 Countries

Home to Many
Nil Productions
Germany

Independent Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by Wounded Buffalo Sound Studios

Captured
A Coral & Oak Studios Film in association with Indikate Productions.
USA

Rhapsody On the Outlaw Ocean
An Outlaw Ocean Project Production.
USA

Movers of Life
A Bravebird Film for the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, funded by the National Geographic Society, in Association with the Human Family Unity Foundation.
USA

Plant Life
A Speculative Films and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios Production
USA

Music Panda Award Nominees

The Tale of Silyan
A Ciconia Film, Concordia Studio, and The Corner Shop Film for National Geographic Documentary Films
North Macedonia
Music: Joe Wilson Davies, Hunouk Park

Parenthood: The Greatest Adventure
A Silverback Films production, for the BBC, in association with All3Media International
UK
Music: Tom Howe

Wild About Art
A Doclights and Text & Bild Production for NDR, in association with WDR, SWR, Arte and ORF.
Germany
Music: Sebatsian Schmidt

Time and Water
National Geographic Documentary Films and Sandbox Films In Association with Ninmah Foundation, A Signpost Pictures Production, In Association with Compass Films.
USA
Music: Dan Deacon

On-Screen Talent Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by University of the West of England

Tribe with Bruce Parry: Episode 1: The Waimaha
A Frank Films Production for the BBC
UK
On-Screen Talent: Bruce Parry

Tiger Island – Episode 1
A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production for BBC and PBS with the WNET group.
UK
On-Screen Talent: Dan O’Neill

Pole to Pole – The South Pole
A Westbrook Studios, Nutopia, and Protozoa series for National Geographic.
UK
On-Screen Talent: Will Smith

Wild London
A Passion Planet Production for BBC in association with WNET and NHK
UK
On-Screen Talent: Sir David Attenborough

Producer/Director Panda Award Nominees

The Tale of Silyan
A Ciconia Film, Concordia Studio, and The Corner Shop Film for National Geographic Documentary Films
North Macedonia
Producer/Director: Tamara Kotevska

Human Footprint: Shelf Life
A Day’s Edge Production for PBS.
Directed by: Nate Dappen, Co-Directed by: Neil Losin & Rick Smith, Produced by: Page Buono, Nate Dappen, Neil Losin, Rick Smith

Wowsabout
The Jim Henson Company for PBS KIDS.
USA
Producer/Director: John Tartaglia

How to Live on Earth
An Open Planet Studios production, in association with Villars Institute Foundation and Silvania.
UK
Director & Producer: Fredi Devas
Producer & Executive Producer: Jonnie Hughes

Production Management Team Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by Boomerang Carnets

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough
A Silverback Films production for Netflix in association with Appian Way.
UK
Production Management Team: Rebecca Coombs – Line Producer, Matt Carr – Production Coordinator

Moon: Nature’s Secret Force: Episode 1: Dining by Moonlight
A Humble Bee Films Ltd production for Sky Nature and Blue Ant Media / Love Nature
UK
Production Management Team: Elena Wong, Esther O’Donnell, Helen Drew, Lynne Hailey, Rose Tarplee, Alexandra Morrisey

Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory
Produced by Wildstar Films for National Geographic.
UK
Production Management Team: Maria Dennett, Katie Grant, Sadie Divas, Becca Sunnucks, Linda Stephens, Becky Wootton

Deep Dive North America: Crowded Seas
A Big Wave Productions film for Love Nature.
UK
Production Management Team: Production Manager – Nina Lowes, Production Coordinator – Harry Harris, Production Secretary – Tavia Davies, Production Accountant – Peter Dunkerley

Scripted Narrative Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by Terra Mater Studios

Time and Water
National Geographic Documentary Films and Sandbox Films In Association with Ninmah Foundation, A Signpost Pictures Production, In Association with Compass Films.
USA
Scripted Narrative: Sara Dosa, Jocelyne Chaput, Erin Casper, Andri Snær Magnason

Orangutan
A Wildstar Films production for Disneynature.
UK
Scripted Narrative: Mark Linfield, Polly Billam

March of the Jaguars
Co Produced by Duo2.tv and Bonne Pioche for Netflix.
Brazil
Scripted Narrative: Fernanda Polacow, Lawrence Wahba.

Penguin Baywatch: Tuxedo Summer Bash
A Terra Mater Studios and Saint Thomas Productions co-production with the participation of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée and France Télévisions.
Austria
Scripted Narrative: Written, produced and directed by Bertrand Loyer

Series Panda Award Nominees – Sponsored by Doclights

Secret Garden
A Plimsoll Studios Production for BBC One, Co-Produced with The Open University.
UK

Pole to Pole
A Westbrook Studios, Nutopia, and Protozoa series for National Geographic.
UK

Human Footprint
A Day’s Edge Production for PBS.
USA

Kingdom
A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production, co-produced with BBC America, for the BBC.
UK

Short Panda Award Nominees

A Special Little Fish
Produced by Plankton Productions for CBC Short Docs.
Canada

I’ll Need to Leave For a Little While
A collaborative project between Malaysian and Vietnamese filmmakers, supported by the Studio Bluegreen Fund.
Malaysia, Vietnam

Between Breaths
A Between Breaths Production.
Norway

Chameleon Corridors
A MyWorld Film Grant film by AFRISOS in co-production with Schoolyard Films and Amberjack Films.
Tanzania

Sound Panda Award Nominees

Tiger Island – Episode 1
A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production for BBC and PBS with the WNET group.
UK
Sound: Matt Coster, Ben Wood

Guided by Horses
A Story About Feeling production in association with Djali House. Principal production funding from Screen Australia, financed with the assistance of Documentary Australia.
Australia
Sound: Weronika Raźna

Home to Many
Nil Productions
Germany
Sound: Tom Rees

Sustainability Panda Award Nominees

Secret Garden – Episode 2: Bristol
A Plimsoll Studios Production for BBC One, Co-Produced with The Open University.
UK

Wild Tamil Nadu
A Sundram Fasteners Limited Production in association with Nature In Focus.
India

Mayan Forest in Check
A production by Rescue The Planet and Macao Productions.
Guatemala

Taiwan – Blessed Life in Satoyama
Produced by NHK and PTS in Association with NHK ENTERPRISES.
Japan

Pippa Considine

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