World Congress of Science and Factual Producers (WCSFP) has announced the nominees for nine of its 16 Buzzies Awards categories. This year sees the introduction of the Best Digital-First category, marking a significant expansion of the Buzzies Awards to recognise digital-first storytelling. Both Best Digital-First and Best Short Form attracted exceptionally strong levels of submissions, “underlining the scale, ambition and importance of creator-led factual content,” organisers write.
The winners will be announced live at the Buzzies Awards ceremony in Tallinn on 11 November 2026, as part of World Congress of Science & Factual Producers 2026, with the remaining seven categories also presented during the event: Best Host, Green Impact of the Year, Mentor of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, Diversity Leadership Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sloan Buzzies Award, which includes a $10,000 USD prize courtesy of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The list of nominees is below.
“The Buzzies are about recognising the people and organisations changing what factual storytelling can be,” said Sara Ramsden, WCSFP Editorial Director. “From broadcasters and production companies to digital creators, the range of work being recognised reflects where factual is heading, and that is exactly the conversation we want to have in Tallinn.”
Taking place in Tallinn from 9-12 November, WCSFP 2026 will bring together producers, commissioners, broadcasters, distributors, streamers, scientists and digital creators from around the world for four days of networking, debate, practical insight and pitching, with a programme examining the changing relationship between broadcast, digital and creator-led models.
Confirmed companies attending include France TV / France TV Distribution, ARTE, CBC, NHK, ORF, CICC, National Geographic, PBS / PBS Distribution, GBH/NOVA, Goalhanger, Complexly, Electrify, BBC Studios / BBC Studios Science Unit, Windfall Films, 72 Films, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, SBS, ZDF, ITV Studios, TVF International, Autentic GmbH, First Hand Films, yap films, Cineflix Rights, Deutsche Welle, and others.
Registration for WCSFP 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia, 9-12 November is now open. The full programme and registration details are available at www.wcsfp.com.
BEST SCIENCE
- AI: Probably Nothing To Worry About. Broadcaster/Platform: Channel 4. Production Company: Windfall Films and 72 Films
- Evolution. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS/NOVA (and BBC). Production Company: BBC Studios
- Father Time, Why Men are Born to Nurture. Broadcaster/Platform: ARTE France. Production Company: Tangerine Productions/Ouragan Films
- The Battle To Breathe. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS/NOVA. Production Company: Wingspan Productions and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
- Ages of Ice: The Frozen Heart. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS, ABC and ITV Studios. Production Company: Northern Pictures
- Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS. Independent Lens. Production Company: Uncommon Productions
BEST NATURAL HISTORY
- Survival of the Slowest. Broadcaster/Platform: CBC . Production Company: Attaboy Television Limited
- Wild Side of the Moon (Episode 1 – Dining by Moonlight). Broadcaster/Platform: Love Nature. Production Company: Humble Bee Films
- Ghost Elephants. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Sobey Road Entertainment, Skellig Rock, Inc., The Roots Production Service
- Fluorescence: Nature’s Superpower. Broadcaster/Platform: ARTE France. Production Company: ZED
- The Mosquitoes Are Winning. Broadcaster/Platform: CBC. Production Company: Grand Passage Media Inc.
- Lion. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit with Jon Favreau’s Fairview Entertainment
- The Elephant Odyssey. Broadcaster/Platform: IMAX. Production Company: Beach House Pictures Ltd
BEST HISTORY
- Stuff The British Stole. Broadcaster/Platform: ABC Australia. Production Company: Wildbear Entertainment, Wooden Horse, Artemis Media
- Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Plimsoll Productions
- Alfred Nobel & Bertha von Suttner: The Price of Peace. Broadcaster/Platform: ARTE France. Production Company: ZED
- Rome Underground. Broadcaster/Platform: Radio-Canada, France Televisions, History Italia, National Geographic UK. Production Company: Ideacom International (CA), Artline Films (FR), MyMax Edutainment (IT)
- When The War Is Over. Broadcaster/Platform: ABC Australia. Production Company: Mint Pictures in association with Magdalene Media
- Chernobyl: Inside the Meltdown. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic. Production Company: Windfall Films
- Once Upon A Time in Space. Broadcaster/Platform: BBC. Production Company: KEO Films
BEST INNOVATION IN FACTUAL
- Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Plimsoll Productions
- Knut, the Viking Emperor. Broadcaster/Platform: Histoire TV, Sky History, SVT, ZDF Studios, TCD, Radio Canada & Foxtel. Production Company: ZED
- Super Scam Me. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Muck Media for National Geographic
- Horrible Science Series 2. Broadcaster/Platform: CBBC/BBC iPlayer. Production Company: Lion Television
- Lion. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit with Jon Favreau’s Fairview Entertainment
- CLUCK! Chickens Exposed. Broadcaster/Platform: CBC / ARTE France. Production Company: Invert Films Inc.
BEST DIGITAL-FIRST
- Superskilled with Eva Zu Beck. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic YouTube. Production Company: Yellow Border Production Services
- The Solar Eclipse 2026. Broadcaster/Platform: YouTube. Production Company: Nordic Science Company
- A Special Little Fish. Broadcaster/Platform: CBC / CBC Gem and CBC Nature of Things Youtube. Production Company: Plankton Productions
- The Tornado That Changed Science. Broadcaster/Platform: YouTube. Production Company: Astrum Earth / Electrify Video Partners
- Drive Me to the Moon. Broadcaster/Platform: YouTube. Production Company: Polar Media
- Wild Hope: Comeback Cat. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS Nature YouTube Channel. Production Company: HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Light & Shadow
- Our Bodies are not Compatible with Weightlessness. Broadcaster/Platform: YouTube Scilabus. Production Company: Scigal
BEST SHORT FORM
- Joy in Animals. Broadcaster/Platform: YouTube. Production Company: Rebel Media Productions
- Whales and Aliens. Broadcaster/Platform: YouTube. Production Company: Rebel Media Productions
- The Limit of Cloning. Broadcaster/Platform: Pointe of View (YouTube Channel). Production Company: Pointe Media
- Tornado Alley Is MOVING and That’s a HUGE Problem. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS Digital Studios. Production Company: Balance Media
BEST DIRECTION
- AI: Probably Nothing To Worry About. Broadcaster/Platform: Channel 4. Production Company: Windfall Films and 72 Films. Director: Nick Holt
- Pole to Pole. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Nutopia, Westbrook, Protozoa. Director: Tom Barbor-Might, Dionne Bromfield
- Time and Water. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Sandbox Films, Ninmah Foundation, Signpost Pictures Production, Compass Films. Director: Sara Dosa
- Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Plimsoll Productions. Director: Tom Barbor-Might
- Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Blast. Director: Chloe Campbell, James Parris
- Ages of Ice: The Frozen Heart. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS, ABC and ITV Studios. Production Company: Northern Pictures. Director: Karina Holden
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Orangutan. Broadcaster/Platform: Disney+. Production Company: Disneynature in association with Wildstar Films. Cinematography: Martyn Colbeck, Yuzuru Masuda
- Secrets of the Bees. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Silverback Films. Cinematography: Justin Maguire, John Brown, Alastair MacEwen
- Gladice. Broadcaster/Platform: Vimeo. Production Company: Arctic Arts Project & Black Mountain Films. Cinematography: Kerry Koepping, Florian Ledoux, David Garrett Byars
- Riddle in the Wind – Episode 1: Feathers of Change. Broadcaster/Platform: Servus TV. Production Company: Terra Mater Studios and Saint Thomas Productions with ARTE G.E.I.E. Cinematography: Kévin Peyrusse, Marin Portier, Marta Sostres, Joshua Comaish
- Ages of Ice: The Frozen Heart. Broadcaster/Platform: PBS, ABC and ITV Studios. Production Company: Northern Pictures. Cinematography: Cam Batten, Ross Mackay and Niklas Heinecke
BEST EDITING
- Pole to Pole. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Nutopia, Westbrook, Protozoa. Editing: Tom Fulford, Charlie Smedley
- The Hunt for the Last Nazis. Broadcaster/Platform: SBS Australia. Production Company: Mint Pictures. Editing: Mark Middis
- Time and Water. Broadcaster/Platform: National Geographic Channel. Production Company: Sandbox Films, Ninmah Foundation, Signpost Pictures Production, Compass Films. Editing: Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput, Mark Harrison
- Big Cats 24/7 Series 2, Episodes 1 & 5. Broadcaster/Platform: BBC Two, PBS. Production Company: BBC Studios. Editing: James Bickersteth
- In the Eye of the Storm: Chasers. Broadcaster/Platform: Discovery Channel, HBO MAX. Production Company: Arrow Media. Editing: Jamie Cadwell, Mitch Bannon, Nick Read, Phil Perry, Simon Holmes, Will Roache
