Wildlife Artist of the Year
in association with
DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year, in association with BBC Wildlife, is an internationally renowned wildlife art competition and exhibition, which each year attracts entries from some of the most talented artists around the globe, who come together to celebrate the beauty of the natural world. Since its inception in 2008, Wildlife Artist of the Year has raised more than £1.2 million for our conservation partners across Africa and Asia.
Each year, the exhibition showcases a breath-taking selection of shortlisted artworks commended by our expert judging panel which portray a variety of techniques and mediums; from recycled plastic sculptures, to intricate pencil drawings, to vast colourful oil paintings, and everything in between. With 50% of the proceeds from all artwork sales supporting DSWF and our ground-based partners, this exhibition highlights how we can use art to create something powerful and ignite the conversation about conservation.
DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year has become one of the most noteworthy events in the art calendar, often being referred to as the ‘Oscars of international wildlife art.’ Playing an integral role in helping to maintain the ‘Art of Survival’ legacy of our founder, David Shepherd CBE, Wildlife Artist of the Year utilises the power of art to celebrate wildlife, support awareness and raise funds for endangered species across Africa and Asia.
Commenting on Wildlife Artist of the Year, the late David Shepherd‘s words are more poignant than ever:
“I set up my Foundation with the sole purpose of giving something back to the animals that helped me achieve success as an artist. At a time when the world’s wildlife is under such devastating pressure from expanding human populations and the illegal trade it seems fitting that we take a step back and reflect on the sheer beauty and diversity of our natural world and what could be lost if we do not truly appreciate the value of the world around us.”
Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022
This year’s Wildlife Artist of the Year attracted 1,654 entrants from 850 artists across 55 countries. The winners of the competition was announced on 31st August 2022 (UK time). Huge congratulations go to Cy Baker for his piece Costa Rican Cloud Forest which was our overall winner. All winning artworks can be seen on our winners blog post here.
Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022 prizes
Our DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022 competition attracted 1,654 entrants from 850 artists across 55 countries. We were delighted to receive a record-breaking number of first-time entrants, and the depth and breadth of work submitted in 2022 was truly exceptional.
After a comprehensive three-stage judging process, our shortlisted artworks were announced at our live Awards Ceremony on the 31st of August with our annual Exhibition opening thereafter. Our finalists comprised a stunning collection of 185 artworks of varying mediums and expressions created by an incredible 151 separate artists. Each of these pieces were available for sale throughout the month of September 2022, with 50% of the sale proceeds going to DSWF and the work of our ground-based conservation partners.
The full list of the DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022 winners can be found below, with more information available on our winners blog post.
Overall Winner: Cy Baker, ‘Costa Rican Cloud Forest’
Overall Runner-Up: Gordon Pembridge, ‘Dappled Respite’
Animal Behaviour Category Winner: Emma Swift, ‘Striding On’
Earth’s Wild Beauty Category Winner: Nicholas Jones, ‘Dawn Light, Cape Mercy, Baffin Island 2019’
Facing Extinction Category Winner: Joni-Leigh Doran, ‘Anyone Out There?’
Into the Blue Category Winner: Jacqueline Bright, ‘A Cast of Crabs’
Wings Category Winner: Matthew Polluk, ‘Black Skimmer’
Urban Wildlife Category Winner: Amy Rogers, ‘Richmond’
Human Impact Category Winner: Levi Hurst, ‘Not a Gift’
The Artist Magazine Editor’s Award: Annabel Thornton, ‘Lone Bee’
Elizabeth Hosking Prize for Watercolour: Vikrant Shitole, ‘The Unleashed’
The Michelle Lee Howk ‘First Time Entrants’ Award: Ginger Gehres, ‘Let the Good Times Roll’
David Shepherd Art of Survival Award: A big congratulations also to Detlef Tibax for being the second recipient of this newly-established prize, recognising artists who have gone above and beyond in the name of conservation, we are hugely honoured to have him as such a close DSWF friend and supporter!
Our Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022 Catalogue to commemorate all shortlisted artworks and artists form this years event is still for sale in our online shop.
2022 Competition Round Up
Through the incredible generosity and support from the participating artists, those who entered the competition, bought an artwork or simply supported the exhibition, together we raised a staggering £85,000 to support our conservation work across Africa and Asia.
Our #SketchForWildlife campaign was also a huge success, with over 90 original artworks being donated by our Artist Community, contributing to the final figure. To those artists who took part in this very special project, we would like to thank you for your continued generous support.
As ever, a huge thank you goes to our wonderful sponsors, without whom this incredible competition could not be a reality.
Wildlife Artist of the Year 2023
The DSWF team are thrilled to announce that our DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year competition will be returning in 2023, opening for entries in early January. As always, the competition is open to both amateur and professional artists alike, and we encourage anyone who has a passion for both art and wildlife to enter. We look forward to keeping you updated on these pages and over the following months, but do be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter or follow us on our social media channels for the latest news.
