A panel of world-renowned travel bloggers, writers, conservationists and ethical ecotourism organisations will judge Travel Blogger of the Year 2020.
Gary Arndt
Gary Arndt is an awarding winning blogger and travel photographer who has been traveling around the world since 2007.
His travels have taken him to 200 countries and territories in the Traveler’s Century Club and 128 United Nations countries. He has also visited over 385 UNESCO World Heritage sites and all 50 US states.
His blog Everything Everywhere is considered one of the best travel blogs in the world. It was named one of the Top 25 Blogs in the world by Time Magazine and it earned a Gold Medal in the Travel Blog category in the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) awards and a Gold Medal for Best Travel Photography Blog in the 2018 TBCAsia Awards.
He is one of the most awarded travel photographers of this decade. He was named the 2014 SATW Travel Photographer of the Year as well as the 2013 & 2015 NATJA Travel Photographer of the Year. He is the only travel photographer to have been named photographer of the year by both organizations. He is also a 3-time Lowell Thomas Award winner in Photo Illustration of Travel and a 2x Northern Lights Award winner in photography.
Since 2009 he has been the co-host of This Week in Travel, an award-winning weekly podcast which covers travel industry news. He is also the host of The Well Traveled Life podcast.
He is also an associate producer and senior travel correspondent for On Travel, on the American Forces Radio Network.
Gary is also an accomplished public speaker and has spoken on topics related to travel and new media on six continents.
Marco Barneveld
Marco Barneveld is an explorer at heart. Life’s an adventure. Planet earth his gorgeous oyster. When he’s not being a superdad or sailing through Arctic waters, he writes regularly for the Dutch and Brittish edition of National Geographic Traveler, Newsweek, Sidetracked and is founder and editor-in-chief of WideOyster Magazine.
As the creative director of WideOyster Creative, Marco combines creativity with commercial thinking. He is an avid conceptual thinker and storyteller. Journalism, (Global) PR, advertising, brand creation, magazine creation and creative direction are merely a few of the skills he collected over the twenty-plus years working in travel writing, PR, advertising and media. He’s also super nice.
www.wideoyster.com
Instagram: @wideoyster
Dr James Borrell
James is a well-known conservation blogger. He is based at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and runs his popular blog with the aim of sharing a more optimistic outlook on conservation and to encourage the next generation of young field scientists. He has written for a wide range of media outlets, websites and magazines.
James first became involved with expeditions through the British Exploring Society, which still runs challenging science focused projects today. He graduated with a first class degree in Biology from the University of Exeter in 2011, and a PhD in Molecular Ecology from Queen Mary University of London in 2016. He has been involved with expeditions and fieldwork in Peru, Brunei, South Africa, Madagascar, Finland, Scotland, Ethiopia and Oman.
Most recently, James embarked on a 30,000Km overland journey across Southern and East Africa in search of conservation success stories. You can read more about the project, here. James is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, working to map the spatial distribution and genetic diversity of the neglected orphan crop Enset in Ethiopia.
Gianluca Cerullo
Gianluca is a conservation scientist and writer with a passion for adventure, wildlife and wild places. He has been involved in expeditions and research around the tropics, from macheting 25 km of rainforest trails in the lowlands of Borneo, to searching Madascar’s treetops for canopy frogs and squatting over Tupperwares in the Colombian Andes to sample dung beetles.
Gianluca writes his blog with an emphasis on how to make a difference in slowing species extinctions. In early 2019, Gianluca began writing for the international environmental journalism outlet Mongabay. His occasional podcast, Conservation Uncut, shares long-form interviews with scientists and conservationists about neglected environmental issues. Gianluca will begin a Phd under the Peter Scott studentship at Cambridge University in October 2019, focused on coupling improved crop yields with forest restoration in Southern Ethiopia. He was voted winner of Wildlife Blogger of the Year in 2018.
Ed Drewitt
Ed is a naturalist, author, broadcaster, tour leader, birder, photographer, public speaker, bird ringer, zoologist, feather expert and Peregrine researcher. He has an energetic passion for nature and enjoy communicating enthusiastically to a wide range of audiences.
Since studying zoology at the University of Bristol (1998 – 2001) he studied the diet of urban Peregrines and been colour ringing their young. He worked on a huge range of activities from taking schools fossil hunting to showing people wildlife from boats. He works for many different organisations, from the British Trust for Ornithology to the National Trust, and in the spring he specialises in teaching birdsong. He also leads groups for Naturetrek on wildlife holidays around the world. He also works closely with the BBC as a consultant, contributor and presenter. Ed also takes people out on wildlife safaris in the Forest of Dean to see Wild Boar, deer and many of the forest’s special birdlife.”
Alice Hawkes
Alice is the Director of Marketing and Technology for GVI, a British social enterprise which operates 100+ sustainable development programs worldwide.
Daniel Kaul
Instagram / Facebook: @natucate
Justin Lennon
Justin is CEO of Conservation Guide and a marine biologist with 10 years’ experience working in conservation.
His experiences in environmental research and practical conservation field work globally led him to the creation of Conservation Guide.
James Lowen
Having been immersed in all aspects of natural history since he was able to walk, James Lowen has now moulted into a fully fledged wildlife writer, editor, guide, consultant and photographer. As an award-winning writer, James’s raison d’êtreis to bring nature to life for the non-specialist. He has penned 11 books on natural history and/or travel, spanning the UK, Europe, South America and Antarctica. His book A Summer of British Wildlife won Travel Guide Book of the 2016 at the Travel Media Awards, while 52 European Wildlife Weekends was shortlisted for the same award in 2018 and also scooped the Adele Evans Award for Best Guidebook. James writes regularly for publications such as The Telegraph, BBC Wildlife, The Countryman, Bird Watching and BirdLife. He also edits travel books for Bradt Travel Guides.
Dr Fernando Mateos-Gonzalez
Fernando is a Spanish biologist with a PhD in Behavioural Ecology and an MSc in Animal Biodiversity. His research on animal behaviour and conservation has led him to work in Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, in amazing places such as the rainforests of Trinidad & Tobago, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Lake Tanganyika in Zambia. His work has been published in over a dozen peer-reviewed scientific journals.
He currently works with the Czech NGO Alka Wildlife on several research and conservation projects studying lynx, otters, raptors, and other endangered fauna. Fernando is also frequently involved in expeditions as a scientist. He has led several trips for the British Exploring Society, exploring the Peruvian Amazon, canoeing the Yukon in Canada, hiking the Scottish Highlands, and sailing the North Sea from Scotland to Iceland. Last year, he joined the BBC in the Peruvian Amazon to shoot scenes for the new Attenborough series “Seven Worlds, One Planet”.
When not working, he is an outdoor enthusiast who loves rock climbing, mountaineering, and mountain biking. In 2013, he cycled 2000 km of dirt roads from the capital of Namibia to the southernmost tip of the African continent, the Cape of Good Hope.
In his free time, he runs Bioblogia.net, where he helps students and early career professionals to find their dream environmental job.
Bioblogia.net
Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @bioblogo
linkedin.com/in/
Lucy McRobert
Lucy McRobert is a wildlife storyteller. Her first book, 365 Days Wild (William Collins, 2019) offers 365 ways to make nature part of your life every day. She is a columnist for Birdwatch magazine and has written for BBC Wildlife, Birdwatching, and the acclaimed Seasons (Elliott & Thompson, 2016). In 2015, she was placed 38th on BBC Wildlife first wildlife power list. Passionate about encouraging the next generation of nature conservationists, she co-founded the youth nature network, A Focus On Nature. She is a keen birder and wildlife-watcher, and works freelance doing communications and marketing for charities and small businesses.
365dayswild.com
Instagram: @wildlylucy
Twitter: @LucyMcRobert1
Eilidh Munro
Eilidh Munro is a wildlife and conservation filmmaker and one of the Scientific Exploration Society’s Explorers, as the 2018 recipient of the SES Neville Shulman Film Award. She recently co-directed and filmed a short documentary, ‘Voices on the Road’, which aims to give a platform to the perspectives of indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon about a road which is being built through the Manu Biosphere Reserve. Eilidh has been filming in the Peruvian rainforest since 2017. Her recent work includes rarely-seen footage of spider monkeys feeding in the clay lick of the Manu Biosphere Reserve and a species new to science.
Eilidh is dedicated and passionate about telling conservation stories, and has partnered with publications and organisations such as Mongabay and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society to communicate the issues facing our world’s most previous environments, through talks, articles and film partnerships. She also led the Crees Foundation’s Multimedia Internship from its remote research in the Manu rainforest for two years and enjoys teaching people about the power of conservation storytelling to create positive change.
Helena Parsons
Helena is a freelance writer and sits on the committee for A Focus on Nature, the UK’s youth nature network. With past experience working for a Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) accredited big cat sanctuary, and researching the impacts of hands-on wildlife tourism, she is passionate about ethical wildlife encounters and all things animal friendly.
She can usually be found visiting national parks and finding wonderful urban patches of nature in London. When she’s not enjoying free time, she also works for the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), assisting their events and communications teams.
afocusonnature.org
Twitter: @HelenaLParsons
Instagram: @meowimhelena
Daniel Ponce Taylor
Jack Randall
Jack is a Zoologist on a mission to spotlight global biodiversity, inspiring others to care for every species on our planet! You can check out Jack’s TV series, “Out There with Jack Randall” on Nat Geo WILD globally. The first series sees Jack trek deep into the Australian Outback to research deadly crocodiles, pythons, turtles, feral camels, venomous snakes – and more!
Jack also runs a unique “How to be a Field Biologist” student course with his company Made in the Wild, supervising small groups of students to build field biology skills in the wild, whilst helping establish biodiversity data collection hubs. The first group of students went to Zimbabwe this year and discovered a new population of Cheetah in an area where they were thought to be locally extinct. The course is expanding to Argentina next year. Students can apply to join the course through adventures@madeinthewild.tv
Instagram: @madeinthewild.tv
Kate Rawles
Kate is passionate about using adventurous journeys to raise awareness and inspire action on our major environmental challenges. She has recently returned from The Life Cycle: Colombia to Cape Horn by bamboo bike, exploring biodiversity loss.
A former lecturer in environmental philosophy, Kate set up Outdoor Philosophy to explore big questions about human/nature relations in nature rather than lecture theatres. In 2006, she cycled from Texas to Alaska along the spine of the Rockies exploring climate change. Her book about this journey, The Carbon Cycle; Crossing the Great Divide, was shortlisted for the Banff Mountain Festival Adventure Travel Award, 2012. Other ‘adventure plus’ journeys include the Gyre to Gaia ocean plastic pollution sailing voyage with Pangaea Exploration. She’s currently working on The Life Cycle book.
Michael Turtle
Mariellen Ward
Mariellen Ward is a Canadian travel journalist who publishes the award-winning travel site Breathedreamgo.com, inspired by her extensive travels across India. She loves to encourage people to live their travel dreams, and is an advocate for responsible travel and solo female travel. Mariellen lives in Rishikesh, where she runs the custom tour company India for Beginners to help people travel to India.
Mariellen leverages her website and social media platforms to promote responsible tourism ideas such as visiting off-beat destinations; carrying a zero waste kit that includes reusable cutlery, a straw, and water bottle; being aware of your cultural and environmental impact; patronizing only well-managed wildlife tourism destinations and organizations; and showing cultural respect.
www.breathedreamgo.com
Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest / Facebook: @breathedreamgo
Matt Adam Williams
Matt Williams is a nature writer, wildlife photographer and presenter of the Wild Voices Project podcast. He has written for publications including BBC Wildlife Magazine, Birdwatching magazine and the Summer anthology of nature writing.
mattadamwilliams.co.uk
www.wildvoicesproject.org
@mattadamw
Dr Nick Askew
Nick is a digital entrepreneur. He loves building online businesses which help people and the planet.
He’s the Director of Conservation Careers and Ecology Jobs, former Director of British Birds, and worked as Communications, Marketing and Fundraising Managers for BirdLife International, both in the UK and Pacific (Fiji). He’s a co-founder of Terra Incognita.
Kristi Foster
Kristi is a science writer and conservationist whose passion for writing about nature, ecotourism and sustainability took her to work with Ecotourism Australia, Fauna & Flora International (UK) and the World Agroforestry Centre (Kenya). In 2017 she coordinated a project demonstrating how rainforest regeneration can conserve biodiversity and enhance local livelihoods in Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru. She is Head of Engagement at Conservation Careers and a Co-Founder of Terra Incognita.