We’re calling on writers and bloggers from around the world to put their favourite wildlife moment into the spotlight. We believe in the power of storytelling for positive change and are looking for stories that raise awareness about our planet’s incredible wildlife and help explore people’s connection with nature through travel.
The Wildlife Blogger of the Year competition is sponsored by SWAROVSKI OPTIK and organised by Terra Incognita. As a social enterprise Terra Incognita believes that ethical ecotourism, combined with the power of blogging, can be a real force for good in the world.
The competition will open for entries on 8 October 2018 and close at midnight on 30 November 2018.
The Power of Blogging
For most of us, stories began when we were young – read to us by our parents, passed down to us by our grandparents, read in our rooms, daydreamed in classrooms. They are a chance to imagine, share, reflect, interpret and learn.
However, in today’s fast-paced world storytelling is being lost – when it is needed most. From the documentaries and films that inspire us, to knowledge and values passed from generation to generation, stories are the universal language that bridges cultures and continents and creates connection, inspiration and positive change.
Bloggers are some of the greatest story-tellers of our time. They learn their craft on their own sites, and educate and inspire by sharing their thoughts, messages and experiences with the globe. Bloggers deserve more support, encouragement and publicity, and this competition is designed to achieve that.
Prizes for the Winners
We will award the Wildlife Blogger of the Year 2018 to a winner with the help of a talented panel of professional writers (see below). We’ll also award a Wildlife Blogger of the Year 2018 | Readers’ Choice winner, voted for by anyone.
The two winners will each receive:
-
A pair of SWAROVSKI OPTIK CL Companion 10×30 binoculars (RRP £930). These elegant binoculars, with impressive optics, are ideal of travelling.
- Promotion and recognition as the winner of the Wildlife Blogger of the Year 2018, plus a winner’s certificate. Rocket-fuel for your blog, and your career!
- Your winning entry published on some of the biggest wildlife blogs online, including Mark Avery and Conservation Careers.
- Opportunity to be interviewed for two popular wildlife podcasts – Conservation Careers Podcast with Dr Nick Askew, and the Wild Voices Project with Matt Adam Williams.
- A career boost from Conservation Careers – including a year’s Lion membership of Conservation Careers, access to the Conservation Career Kick-starter online course, plus one hour of career coaching (worth £199).
Four Runners Up will each receive:
- Promotion and recognition as the runner up of the Wildlife Blogger of the Year 2018, plus a certificate. A huge boost for your blog, and your career.
- Your winning entry published on Conservation Careers.
- A career boost from Conservation Careers – including year’s Lion membership of Conservation Careers, access to the Conservation Career Kick-starter online course (worth £149).
The Benefits of Entering
The Wildlife Blogger of the Year is here to celebrate great story-telling. All entrants will be offered the following benefits as part of the Terra Incognita Eco-Blogger Network:
- Reach an international audience. Have your profile featured on Terra Incognita, alongside your latest blog posts, and links to your own site and social media channels.
- Join our blogging community. Be part of a global community of storytellers and influencers to exchange ideas, get support, collaborate and increase your profile.
- Publish your work. Have the opportunity to publish guest posts on the Terra Incognita blog, with full author credits and links to your site.
- Take your blogging to the next level. Find opportunities for paid blogging work from verified ethical tour providers, and get access to special discounted rates to visit our Ethical Tour providers (Coming Soon).
- Display the Wildlife Blogger of the Year Entrant’s Badge on your blog. Showcase your entry to the world.
How to Enter
The deadline for entries was Midnight on 30 November 2018, and the winners will be announced on 31st December 2018.
If you have any questions or problems, please email hello@terra-incognita.travel.
Meet our Judges
An amazing panel of writers and bloggers will judge Wildlife Blogger of the Year 2018, as follows. You can read their fuller biographies here.
Dr Mark Avery
Mark has been called Britain’s premier wildlife blogger. He worked for the RSPB for 25 years – and spent 13 years as their Conservation Director. Mark’s knowledge about nature conservation in the UK is without par, and he cares deeply about the sustainability of wildlife in the modern world. markavery.info
James Lowen
James is an award-winning travel and nature writer who has penned 10 books (the most recent of which is 52 European Wildlife Weekends) and numerous magazine articles. He blogs about the wildlife he encounters on his travels. jameslowen.com
Lucy McRobert
Lucy is a popular nature writer, environmental journalist and Communications Manager for The Wildlife Trusts. She is a runner-up in the BBC Wildlife magazine ‘Nature Writer of the Year’ and is a columnist in the popular Birdwatch magazine. She has written and presented wildly about wildlife issues.
Ed Drewitt
Ed is a professional naturalist, wildlife detective, and broadcaster for the BBC. He has been studying urban Peregrines for over 15 years, and specialises in colour ringing their chicks, and identifying what they have been eating. eddrewitt.co.uk
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. You can find out more about him @mattadamw and mattadamwilliams.co.uk, or find his podcast at www.wildvoicesproject.org.
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. jamesborrell.com
Dr Kate Rawles
Kate is an outdoor philosopher, writer, lecturer and environmental campaigner. She is the author of The Carbon Cycle, based on a cycling trip from Texas to Alaska exploring North American’s responses to climate change. For her latest project, The Life Cycle, Kate cycled from Colombia to Cape Horn on a bamboo bicycle to raise awareness and inspire positive action on biodiversity loss. www.outdoorphilosophy.
Marta Calix
Marta is a co-founder of the popular blog The Conservation Hub, and is a wildlife conservation biologist based in Belgium interested in the linkages between business and biodiversity. She has written widely about her passion for the natural world. theconservationhub.com
Hendrikus van Hensbergen
Hendrikus is the Founder and CEO of Action for Conservation, a young environmental charity with a mission to bring the magic of nature into young people’s lives and inspire a youth movement committed to conservation and the earth. actionforconservation.org
Eilidh Munro
Eilidh is a wildlife and conservation filmmaker and one of the Scientific Exploration Society’s 2018 explorers, as the recipient of the SES Neville Shulman Film Award 2018. She recently filmed rarely-seen spider monkey behaviour in the Manu Biosphere Reserve, and her upcoming project will be a documentary about an illegal road being built through the Peruvian Amazon. munrorambling.com
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. conservationguide.org
Daisy Ouya
For over 15 years Daisy has worked as a science writer, editor, publisher and communications specialist. Her work experience spans communications in entomology, marine science, agriculture, agroforestry, and human health including HIV/AIDS. She is a board-certified Editor in the Life Sciences (ELS). daisyouya.com
Kristi Foster
Kristi is passionate about communicating ecotourism, conservation and sustainability, something she’s done with Ecotourism Australia, Fauna & Flora International (UK) and the World Agroforestry Centre (Kenya). Most recently she had the opportunity to coordinate a project demonstrating how rainforest regeneration can conserve biodiversity and enhance local livelihoods in Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru. She’s a co-founder of Terra Incognita. terra-incognita.travel
Dr Nick Askew
Nick is a digital ecopreneur. 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. www.terra-incognita.travel
Contact Us
Stay up-to-date with the latest competition news from Terra Incognita on our blog or find us on Facebook and Twitter. If you want to get in touch please contact hello@terra-incognita.travel.