The Awards, which have been running for 26 years, are firmly established as the most prestigious in the natural history filmmaking calendar. Over 420 entries were received this year, with 22 prizes being awarded.

At the Awards Joanna Lumley said, “It’s very heartening this year to see so many films with a strong environmental focus – it seems at last the environment is going mainstream, and is on everyone’s agenda.”

The top award, the Golden Panda, has been awarded to Armoured Giants – The Cold Blooded Truth a BBC Natural History Unit programme presented by wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. Sir David joined colleagues from the Natural History Unit to collect the Award.

David Attenborough

Miles Barton, from the BBC Natural History introduced Sir David, “There is only one person that you can get a commission about a load of slimy, scaly cold-blooded creatures on BBC 1 these days, that is of course David Attenborough who is as enthusiastic about these underdogs of the animal world as anything else!”

Sir David continued “This Award means something particularly important for me, because over the past 25 years I’ve been making series’ of programmes about whole groups of the animal kingdom and amphibians and reptiles were the last group. The BBC was not always so keen on amphibians and reptiles…they’d say ‘why don’t you do something you can pat, or something that flies?’ This series has completed the final ‘set’ for me and I am thrilled beyond measure it should receive your approbation.”

The Award ceremony was attended by over 600 people from all over the world. Guests were in Bristol attending the Wildscreen Festival – a week of seminars, discussion and debate.

Click here to see a full list of this year’s winners.

By Bristol Media