Winners of the WWF Video Competition

The WWF video competition, launched as part of WWF’s 50th anniversary celebrations, asked filmmakers to produce original short films on the theme of: “Life. Nature. You. Make the Connection”.

Thank you so much to everyone who created films aimed at inspiring people to value and protect their natural environment!

And the winners are...

There were over 260 submissions to the competition, but in the end there could only be 2 winners, one by popular vote and one by jury vote. We are thrilled to annouce that Myles Thompson from Denmark is the winner of the popular vote and Nate Dappen and Neil Losin are the winners of the jury prize. Please check out their films below and the short list of finalists.

Read the press release

Our supporters


Thanks to Vimeo and CMS Vatavaran for all of their support for the Competition!

Vimeo

'Life Nature You' by Myles Thompson (Denmark)

Winner of Popular Vote


While playing with my children in the garden I began to share their enthusiasm for the small wonders in life, and learned to appreciate some of the wildlife most of us take for granted. I really wanted to share this experience with other people, and when I heard about the WWF video competition I thought it would be a great opportunity to compose these thoughts into a short film that would help others make the same connection. I've been thrilled by the response to my video; it confirms to me that many people share a desire to rediscover the intuitive love of nature we all once shared as children.


About the filmmaker:

Myles Thompson is a filmmaker, sound recordist, teacher and a writer. He studied at the Wildlife Film Academy in South Africa and has since worked as a scriptwriter, cameraman, editor and sound recordist on a diverse range of projects.

He has also written travel articles for the Observer and the Guardian and now runs his own video production company in Aarhus, Denmark.
 
/ ©: Myles Thompson
Myles Thompson
© Myles Thompson

Follow Myles on his blog

You can follow the challenges and triumphs of Myles as he plans and produces his next short film with WWF.

Blog: A Small Patch of Earth

'The Runner' by Nathan Dappen and Neil Losin (USA)

Winner of Jury Panel


 As science filmmakers, the hardest part of communicating information is getting an audience emotionally engaged - only then will they listen to the facts. When we learned the theme of the WWF competition, we thought it would be a cool opportunity to try creating this emotional connection between the natural world and an audience. I told Neil that I often feel most connected to nature when I’m running. So we tried to create a short film about this connection.


About the filmmakers:

Nate Dappen is a biologist, photographer and filmmaker based in Miami. He is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Biology at the University of Miami. Nate studies sexual coevolution in lizards in Spain's Pityuses archipelago. He studied both biology and photography as an undergraduate at the University of Colorado, and he has worked as a professional photographer since graduating. Nate's photographs have been published in books, magazines and websites in the USA and abroad, and he uses visual media to bring science to broad public audiences.

Neil Losin is a biologist, photographer, writer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He is a National Geographic Young Explorer and a Ph.D. Candidate in UCLA's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Neil studies the evolution and ecology of invasive lizards in South Florida. When he isn't conducting his own research, he usesphotography and film to engage the public in science, and he trains other scientists to do the same. Neil's photos have appeared in books, magazines, and online media worldwide, and he blogs regularly for National Geographic.
 


/ ©: Neil Losin
Neil Losin
© Neil Losin
/ ©: Nathan Dappen
Nathan Dappen
© Nathan Dappen

Short list

Judges' Selection Shortlist:

The prizes

  • The winning fillmmakers each receive a commission from WWF to create a short film with a minimum budget of $10,000 USD, and an all expenses paid trip to India to attend the CMS Vatavaran environmental film festival.

    Click here to learn more about the competition

The judges

  • The jury panel consisted of:
    • Brandon Litman, Co-founder of One Day on Earth
    • Maarten van Rouveroy, Senior producer / cameraman at Greenpeace International
    • Andrew Jackson, Head of the BBC Natural History
    • Alka Tomar, Founding director of CMS Vatavaran
    • Elma Okic, Video Producer at WWF International
    Learn more about the judges

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