Now in its fifteenth year, DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year is an internationally renowned wildlife art competition attracting entries from some of the most talented artists from across the globe, celebrating the beauty of the natural world. It also plays an important role in raising vital funds and awareness for DSWF’s ground-based conservation partners in Africa and Asia.
DSWF are incredibly grateful to the generous individuals and corporate partners who sponsor this wonderful competition, and who share its passion for utilising art as a tool to protect endangered species from extinction.
We are proud to share with you below the list of this year’s DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year sponsors.
If you are interested in becoming involved with Wildlife Artist of the Year, we have a range of corporate and individual opportunities available and would be delighted to hear from you here.
“We have been involved with and supported DSWF for some 35 years. We know the whole family personally and always appreciate and respect the way they operate their Charity and maintain personal contact. It was a wonderful opportunity and privilege for June and I to sponsor first prize at WAY from its inception. It magnifies what our contribution can do for wildlife and brings together artists and conservationists in a wonderful way.”
Neil & June Covey
“We first fell in love with Africa on our honeymoon to Zimbabwe over 25 years ago. Supporting DSWF is very important to us as we have seen first-hand the positive impact achieved by the work of the ground-based partners and David Shepherd’s print ‘An African Landscape’ was bought as a reminder of that wonderful trip, starting a collection of many paintings over the years. We enjoy the Wildlife Artist of the Year event very much and are always keen to see what new and breath-taking work will be summitted. The Abstract World category has the opportunity to allow imagination to fly free and we are very excited to see everyone’s different interpretations.”
Amanda & Barry Butler
“Animal behaviour is such a wide sweeping category and I absolutely love how each selected artist portrays this in their own unique way. I love all wildlife and the Animal Behaviour category can encompass all of them as created by the many hugely talented artists entering this fabulous, long-running DSWF competition”
Gary Hodges
“Based in the beautiful Lake District, Derwent is a global fine art brand with a British heritage dating back to 1832. We actively support projects that protect rivers, wetlands and wildlife, particularly in our wonderful Lake District surroundings. We’re delighted to be sponsoring the newly created ‘DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year’ category for 2023 – making a positive difference to our natural world through art is something we are proud to support. We have always been dedicated to caring for the environment and acting responsibly, and we want to inspire artists across the globe to amplify this message. We very much look forward to seeing the impressive works of art entered into this category.“
Mike Stranders, Vice President & General Manager, Derwent Art
“We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Facing Extinction category for Wildlife Artist of the Year this year. We’re always keen to work with David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, their work in fighting wildlife crime, protecting endangered species and engaging local communities makes a huge difference in preventing the extinction of these iconic creatures.”
Martin & Emma Leuw
“Paul Traub Associates is delighted to again be supporting the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation by sponsoring the Wildlife Artist of the Year prize for the ‘Into the Blue’ category. We look forward to seeing the selection of amazing artworks that are shortlisted in this category, demonstrating the magical and yet fragile world of water and the precious creatures that live within it. We are extremely proud that our support will help DSWF continue their vital work protecting endangered species.“
Paul Traub
“I am delighted that Elizabeth Hosking is generously donating the prize for the most notable watercolour entry. There is a freshness about watercolour that is unrivalled by any other medium. The white paper and liveliness of a watercolour artwork has immense appeal. This means they always sell very well at the Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition and are often very affordable, partly because they can be relatively quick to create, but more so because traditionally watercolours have been a more reasonably priced art source”
Hazel Soan, Watercolourist & Wildlife Artist of the Year Judge
“My intention behind creating this exciting new award is to inspire artists who have never entered DSWF’s contest to take a chance on themselves. We hope those who have held back from entering will show the world their talent. In this time of great anxiety, new artists might hold back when they see the level of talent that prize-winning artists in this competition have developed. Be confident in your work, we see amazing artists every day that should enter this contest.”
Michelle Lee Howk
Interested in sponsoring Wildlife Artist of the Year 2024?
