The judges
Find out about the judging panel of photographic experts for the Young Photographer Awards.
Andrew Forsyth
Andrew is our Multimedia, Manager, who goes on photoshoots with our animals around England and Wales. He's been a finalist in the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards twice, as well as in the British Wildlife Photography Awards, Landscape Photographer of the Year, and the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competitions.
Andrew has been an RSPCA Young Photographer Awards judge since 2005 and knows a winning shot when he sees one.
Catriona Parfitt
Catriona is a professional wildlife photographer and former RSPCA Young Photographer Awards Overall Winner. Catriona first entered the competition in 2004, was named 'Overall winner' twice (in 2005 and 2010) and also received awards in four other years.
She won the BBC Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2008 and has been successful in the Young Travel Photographer of the Year competition. This is Catriona's 10th year as judge.
Ellie Rothnie
Ellie is an internationally acclaimed wildlife photographer and Canon Ambassador, who has an enduring love of animal and bird portraiture. Focusing on species in her native UK, as well as Europe, East Africa, Japan and North/Central America, Ellie’s use of natural light, backgrounds and foregrounds creates elegant and timeless images. One of her ongoing projects is with the charismatic Dalmatian pelican of Lake Kerkini, photographing the conservation successes and challenges of a fragile bird species.
Ellie is a tour leader with the wildlife trip company Natures Images. This is her tenth year as a judge. ellierothnie.com
Emma Jacobs
Emma is our Senior Photographer, with more than 20 years' experience in her field. She's passionate about exploring new ways to use the photographic medium as a tool for visual communication, creating an image or series of images that tell a story and help people to connect with nature. In 2023 Emma won the Documentary Series category in the British Wildlife Photography Awards.
She believes that if more people could connect with and fall in love with animals, they would be more inspired to take better care of them. emmajacobsphotography.com/
Fabian Rivers
Fabian is an exotics and wildlife vet, known as Dready Vet, and an RSPCA Ambassador. He’s appeared on CBBC show The Pets Factor and has presented animal welfare documentaries such as the BBC programme Britain's Puppy Boom: Counting the Cost.
Fabian loves sharing animal care advice with young people and showing others how to look after the animals who share our world.
A keen photographer himself, this is his second year as an RSPCA Young Photographer Awards judge.