Training, networking and media opportunities for the 2026 Whitley Award winners
Our annual Whitley Awards are much more than an Award Ceremony and project funding. Each year, we welcome the latest cohort of winners to London for a busy week of events, media interviews, and training – all designed to catalyse the growth of their proven conservation solutions.
This year we had the honour of hosting the 2026 Whitley Award winners, Moreangels Mbizah, Issah Seidu, Parveen Shaikh, Barkha Subba, and Paola Sangolquí. Unfortunately Marina Kameni couldn’t be with us in London, although she took part in many of the week’s events virtually from Cameroon, and we look forward to her joining a future awards week.
A decade since her Whitley Award, we also welcomed back 2026 Whitley Gold Award winner Farwiza Farhan with colleagues from her NGO HAkA, co-founder Badrul Irfan, Irham Yunardi and Lukmanul Hakim. As Farwiza shared in her speech during the Ceremony, “the work is deeply collective”.
We kicked off the week with a welcome dinner on Sunday for the WFN team and winners to get to know one another, and to run through plans for the busy days ahead.
On Monday, Boffin Media ran specialised training in TV, print and radio interview techniques to help the winners increase awareness and recognition of their work. This increased visibility can build local support for projects on-the-ground, spark new connections, encourage philanthropic support from additional sources, and increase political influence. A big thank you to Whitley Award donors Inigo Insurance for once again hosting this training day.
That evening, the conservationists had the chance to meet WFN supporters over a home cooked meal prepared by the WFN Friends Committee.
On Tuesday, the winners headed to the Royal Geographical Society to meet members of the Judging Panel and to present their work.
Our NextGen event that evening gathered young WFN supporters to hear more about the impactful work of the 2026 Whitley Gold Award winner, Farwiza and HAkA. Thank you to Urban Greens for hosting us, and the NextGen committee for organising the special event.
On Wednesday morning the winners received speech coaching from Caroline Black in preparation for the Whitley Awards Ceremony that evening.
They also watched their individual winner films for the first time, made by Silverback Studios and narrated by WFN Ambassador Miranda Richardson. Watch the winners’ speeches and short films here.
That evening we gathered at the Royal Geographical Society to celebrate the winners, their teams, and the real change they’re driving together with local communities. The winners enjoyed a special reception with WFN Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, before WFN Ambassadors Tom Heap and Kate Humble compèred the evening in front of an audience of supporters and country Ambassadors. This year, we also celebrated WFN Ambassador Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, and were enthralled by THE HERDS’ puppets moving through the auditorium.
Thursday morning saw the start of UK and international press sharing the news of the 2026 Whitley Award winners; the media training was put to very good use throughout the week. See highlights from the press coverage so far.
We began recording interviews with each winner for the third season of our How to Save It podcast, which will launch later this year. With nature under threat like never before, the series aims to flip the script of doom and focus on how to save it.
That afternoon, WFN hosted a networking event at Kent House Knightsbridge to facilitate connections and future partnerships between Award winners and other conservation NGOs.
Finally, we welcomed the winners to our office in Holland Park, London on Friday to discuss next steps and sign their Award contracts. Following an annual tradition, they added their pin to our map to represent joining the network of 230 conservationists working across 84 countries.
We wrapped up the whirlwind week with a farewell lunch with WFN Trustees, and WFN Founder Edward Whitley OBE and family, sharing highlights from the week and discussing plans for the exciting year ahead.
By channelling resources and long-term support to those best placed to lead solutions, we can build a future where both people and nature thrive.
