Please note: The Academy will close at 3 pm today for Big Bang Gala.
Judges of the 2016 BigPicture Competition are some of the most highly regarded nature photographers and photo editors in the world. They are also authors, conservationists, educators, filmmakers, and organizers. Read more about our judges—and their own projects—below.
Suzi Eszterhas
Jury Chair and Judge
Suzi Eszterhas is an award-winning wildlife photographer who is best known for her images of baby animals in the wild. Her photographs have been published in over 100 magazine cover and feature stories in publications around the world. She has ten books in print and another four in progress. Suzi is a dedicated conservationist and lends her images and expertise to help raise funds and awareness for several environmental organizations around the globe. (San Francisco, CA)
Paul Hilton
Judge
Paul Hilton is an award-winning photojournalist who focuses on global environmental and conservation issues. His work documenting a variety of marine issues, including the plight of great rays and sharks and a newly-discovered blue whale migration, have taken him to all parts of the globe. (Hong Kong)
Kathy Moran
Judge
Kathy Moran is National Geographic magazine’s first senior editor for natural history projects. A 34-year veteran of the National Geographic Society, Moran has been producing projects about terrestrial and underwater ecosystems for the magazine since 1990.
She was named “Picture Editor of the Year” for her winning portfolio in the 2006 Pictures of the Year competition and the 2011 Best of Photo competition. She is a founding member of the International League of Conservation photographers and served for many years on the Executive Committee. (Washington, D.C.)
Neil Ever Osborne
Judge
Neil Ever Osborne is a photographer for the Canadian Wildlife and Canadian Geographic magazines and an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). He is a partner at Evermaven, an agency focused on environmental communication. When he is not in the field, Neil directs Fleming College’s Environmental Visual Communication (EVC) program out of the Royal Ontario Museum. (Toronto, Canada)
Ian Shive
Judge
Ian Shive is an award-winning photographer, author, educator, film producer, and environmental advocate. He is the CEO of Tandem Stills + Motion, Inc. and has been recognized as the recipient of the Sierra Club’s 2011 Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography. (Culver City, CA)
Brian Skerry
Judge
Brian Skerry is a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. He’s covered over 20 stories as a contract photographer for National Geographic magazine and was named a National Geographic Photography Fellow in 2014. A prolific public speaker and widely-published, award-winning photographer, Skerry is praised worldwide for his aesthetic sense as well as his journalistic drive for relevance, bringing attention to the large number of issues that endanger our oceans and its inhabitants. (Boston, MA)
Sophie Stafford
Judge
Sophie Stafford is an independent communications and photography consultant for the UK’s leading conservation charities, improving supporter engagement through the power of visual storytelling. Before that, she was the editor of BBC Wildlife magazine for nearly 10 years. For eight years, Sophie was a judge of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and she regularly joins the juries of great photo competitions, from World Press Photo to Mexico’s Por el Planeta. She works closely with photographers to bring their work to wider audiences through exhibitions, books and other media. (Bristol, UK)