Photo

Professional jury

• Alexander Mustard

  UK

  Alexander Mustard is a world-renowned underwater photographer. Shooting the marine world since the age of nine, he turned a childhood passion into a career where creativity and science meet in every frame. With a PhD in marine ecology, he has focused fully on photography since 2004, traveling the oceans and seas around the world. Alexander’s work is regularly recognized in international competitions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and featured in leading publications. In 2013, he became the first underwater photographer to win European Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image Night Moves. Author of Underwater Photography Masterclass and a leader of international workshops, he shares his expertise with photographers worldwide. In 2018, he was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his contribution to underwater photography. Today, he continues to explore the oceans and inspire a new generation of photographers.
• Craig Parry

  Australia

  Craig Parry is a professional wildlife and underwater photographer with extensive experience in international projects. He has been recognized as a winner and finalist in numerous prestigious competitions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the International Photography Awards. Craig regularly contributes to specialist publications and collaborates with conservation organizations, documenting rare species and ecosystems. He also serves on the jury of major international photography contests and participates in educational initiatives, sharing his expertise with emerging photographers.
• Mohammad Murad

  Kuwait

  Mohammad Murad is a Kuwaiti wildlife photographer and Canon Ambassador (EMEA). He began photography in 2015 at age 39, specializing in capturing animals in their natural habitat using light, motion, and long exposure for expressive images. Mohammad has won over 60 international awards, including Travel Photographer of the Year, China Wildlife Image and Video Competition, MontPhoto, and Nature InFocus. His work earned Second Place at Golden Turtle and a Bronze at World Nature Photography Awards. His photographs have been exhibited internationally, and he has spoken at major festivals, including the German Society for Nature Photography, becoming the first Arab photographer invited as a speaker.
• Pasquale Vassallo

  Italy

  Pasquale Vassallo is an Italian underwater and nature photographer from Naples, holding a degree in marine productions from the University of Naples “Federico II”. He began his underwater photography career in 1989, and his work has appeared in international publications such as National Geographic, Discovery Magazine, and Le Figarò. Pasquale has received numerous international awards, including the prestigious Plongeur d’Or (Marseille, 2011), recognition in the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition (London, 2020) in the Marine Conservation category, and category wins at the World Shootout and Siena International Photo Awards. His activities include co‑authoring guides to underwater parks, solo exhibitions, and since 2021 he has served as an ambassador for the Seacam and Mares brands.
• Sasha Fonseca

  Germany

  Sascha Fonseca is a wildlife photographer specializing in high-end camera-trap photography, creating intimate portraits of some of the world’s most elusive animals. Working in remote environments—from the Himalayas to the Russian Far East—he focuses on iconic predators such as snow leopards and Amur tigers, revealing moments rarely seen by humans. He was among the first to photograph wild Bengal tigers at night using camera traps, contributing to the wider adoption of this approach in wildlife photography. His work has received international recognition, including the Wildlife Photographer of the Year — People’s Choice Award and Nature Photographer of the Year. In 2023, he became the first non-Russian photographer to win the Wildlife Category of the Russian Geographical Society. His work is exhibited internationally and featured by National Geographic and BBC. He is a Partner Photographer with Panthera and collaborates with organizations such as the Amur Tiger Center, supporting wildlife conservation efforts.
• Sergey Gorshkov

  Russia

  Sergey Gorshkov is a wildlife photographer since 2001, focusing on Russia’s diverse natural landscapes through projects such as Wild Russia, Taiga, and Land of the Big Cats, documenting rare Siberian tigers and Amur leopards. He has worked extensively in Kamchatka and across the Russian Arctic, including Chukotka, Wrangel Island, Taymyr Peninsula, Putorana Plateau, Franz Josef Land. Sergey is a founding member of the Russian Union of Wildlife Photographers and a permanent jury member of competitions including Golden Turtle. He participated in BBC projects Frozen Planet and Planet Earth II. His images have been selected as signature works for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year and included in top-100 lists of the world’s best wildlife photographs. He has received numerous national and international awards, including Photographer of the Year (Golden Turtle 2007, 2011), multiple Wildlife Photographer of the Year recognitions, and in 2020 became the first Russian to win WPY’s title. He also won Italy’s Bio Photo Contest (2024) and other international competitions. Sergey is the author of 13 personal photography books and films, including In Search of the Perfect Frame and Embrace of the Amur Tiger. His work is exhibited worldwide and published in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Geo, and other major outlets.
• Philippe Fayt

  Belgium

  Philippe Fayt is a Belgian environmental scientist and nature photographer, specializing in forest ecology, biodiversity, and wildlife monitoring. He holds a Bachelor’s in Biology from UCLouvain and a PhD from the University of Eastern Finland, where he studied the population ecology of the rare three‑toed woodpecker. Philippe documents natural habitats and wildlife, often in boreal and Arctic regions, and his work has been recognized in international nature photography competitions. He has served on the pre‑selection jury of the Golden Turtle competition for 9 years. Professionally, he has worked with the Finnish Forest Research Institute, the Finnish Museum of Natural History, and the Finnish Environment Institute, combining scientific research with visual storytelling to raise awareness of conservation and biodiversity.
• Francesco Pacienza

  Italy

  An internationally acclaimed wildlife and underwater photographer, Francesco Pacienza seamlessly bridges the gap between technical precision and profound artistic vision. A graduate of the European Institute of Design (IED), he is a pioneer in creative use filter and cutting-edge underwater solutions—a field where he has served as a technical ambassador for Easydive since 2006. Today, Francesco stands as one of the most authoritative voices in global photography criticism. His expertise is immortalized in numerous technical volumes and his prestigious monograph, "The Masters of Underwater Photography." This deep analytical insight has made him a cornerstone of the world's most elite competitions, serving on juries for HIPA (Dubai), Porto Santo, Madeira, Croatia, and Spain. His enduring commitment to excellence is highlighted by his seventh consecutive year on the International Jury of Golden Turtle, the pinnacle of global nature photography. A dedicated writer and educator, Francesco views photography as a mission to restore the medium's inherent dignity beyond mere professional execution. Often described as an "image fisherman," he continues to immerse himself in the world’s most challenging environments to capture the essence.

Expert jury

• Dmitriy Shevlyakov

  Russia

  Technical Expert of the Festival
• Andrey Gilev

  Russia

  Ethical Treatment of Animals Expert

Jury of Peers

• Sarthak Agrawal (India)
• Evgeny Borisov (Russia)
  
• Manuel Castellanos Raboso (Spain)
  
• Federico Crovetto (Italy)
• Juan Cuetos (Spain)
  
• Joel Delmas (France)
• Supun Dilshan (Sri Lanka)
  
• Gergo Dioszegi (Hungary)
  
• Anirban Dutta (India)
  
• Alexander Fedosov (Russia)
  
• Juan Garcia Lucas, Pixelecta (Spain)
• Andrey Gilyov (Russia)
  
• Svetlana Gorbatykh (Russia)
• Imre Herpai (Hungary)
• Yury Ivanov (Russia)
• Abhilash Kar (India)
• Evgenia Kirpichenkova (Russia)
• Mike Korostelev (Russia)
• Nadezhda Kulagina (Kazakhstan)
  
• Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia)
• Tibor Litauszki (Hungary)
  
• Nathan Livartowski (France)
  
• Pavel Lychkovsky (Belarus)
• Weihua Ma (China)
• David Mediavilla (Spain)
• Abdul Momin (Bangladesh)
• Egor Nikiforov (Russia)
• Andrey Nosik (Russia)
  
• Gregoire Pansu (France)
  
• Alexey Perelygin (Russia)
  
• Sergey Pesterev (Russia)
• Andrey Podkorytov (Russia)
  
• Natalia Polyakova (Russia)
• Renata Romero (Italy)
• Luc Rooman (Belgium)
• Aziz Saltik (Türkiye)
• Padmanava Santra (India)
  
• Adriana Claudia Sanz (Argentina)
  
• Sergey Savvi (Russia)
  
• Andrey Shpatak (Russia)
  
• Daniel Sly (Australia)
  
• Yury Smityuk (Russia)
• Loredana De Sole (Italy)
  
• Lam Soon Tak (Malaysia)
• Simona Tedesco (Italy)
• Ilya Timin (Russia)
  
• Kirill Uyutnov (Russia)
• Ekaterina Vasyagina (Russia)