Judges
Explore the 2023 James Cropper Wainwright
prize judging panels
The Nature Writing Prize judging panel is chaired by TV presenter Charlotte Smith, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts, Craig Bennett, is the Chair of Judges for Writing on Conservation; and Communications & Campaigns Director of National Trust, Mark Funnell, chairs the Prize for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation.
Nature Writing
Judging Chair
Charlotte Smith
Charlotte Smith is a freelance broadcaster, writer and conference host – she presents BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today and has been a Countryfile presenter for more than two decades.
The Panel
Nature Writing
Dr Anjana Khatwa
Award-Winning Earth Scientist and Presenter
Nature Writing
Amber Harrison
Independent Specialist Bookseller
Nature Writing
James Aldred
Winning Author, 2022
Nature Writing
Charlotte Smith
Broadcast Presenter
Writing on Conservation
Judging Chair
Craig Bennett
Craig Bennett started as Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts in April 2020, with the ambition of putting a third of the UK’s land and sea into nature recovery by 2030.
He has been described as “one of the country’s top environmental campaigners”, and by The Guardian as “the very model of a modern eco-general”. He was recently listed as one of the UK’s top “social media CEOs”.
Before acquiring his role at The Wildlife Trusts, Craig was the CEO of Friends of the Earth for five successful years. Prior to this, Craig was deputy director at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), and director of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (from 2007 to 2010). He maintains his links with The University of Cambridge, as policy fellow at the Centre for Science and Policy (CsAP), and as a senior associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).
The Panel
Writing on Conservation
Lucy Siegle
Journalist & Broadcaster
Writing on Conservation
Lee Schofield
Shortlisted Author, 2022
Writing on Conservation
Sir John Lawton
Leading Environmentalist
Writing on Conservation
Mark Cropper
Chairman of James Cropper, leaders in advanced materials, luxury packaging and creative papers.
Writing on Conservation
Craig Bennett
CEO UK Wildlife Trusts
Children's Writing on Nature and Global Conservation
Judging Chair
Mark Funnell
Mark is Communications and Campaigns Director at the National Trust. He has specialised in environmental communications and campaigns for over 20 years. His other recent roles include interim Director of Communications at Defra, Head of Communications at the Forestry Commission and Head of External Relations at the Environment Agency. Mark started out in editorial and publishing roles, working for five years at a consumer magazine publishing company.
The Panel
Children's Writing on Nature and Global Conservation
Helen Musselwhite
2022 Wainwright Prize Official Artist
Children's Writing on Nature and Global Conservation
Kate McCloskey
Independent Bookseller
Children's Writing on Nature and Global Conservation
Roisin Taylor
Co-director for UK Youth for Nature
Children's Writing on Nature and Global Conservation
Ben Shires
Children's TV presenter