Jury 2023

David is the co-originator of the permaculture concept following publication of Permaculture One, co-authored with Bill Mollison in 1978. David is globally recognised as a leading ecological thinker, teacher, writer and speaker promoting permaculture as a realistic, attractive and powerful alternative to dependent consumerism. Other key publications include Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (2002) and Future Scenarios: How Communities Can Adapt To Peak Oil and Climate Change (2009) and RetroSuburbia: The Downshifter’s Guide to a Resilient Future (2018).

Rita is the founder - director of Dusty Foot Production and the Green Hub Project (a Dusty Foot Foundation initiative), a network which looks at leveraging the power of youth in conservation action and social change through the visual medium. She has been one of the leading environment filmmakers in India, having been part of three Green Oscar award winning films. In 2017, she was also awarded the National Geographic – CMS Prithvi Ratna Award for contribution to the environment through cinema.

Satyajit is a communicator for social change. His award winning films include ‘Chale Chalo’, ‘Bombay Lawyers’, ‘Zokkomon’, and the critically acclaimed TV talk show ‘Satyamev Jayate’, anchored by Aamir Khan. The massive response to the show led to Paani Foundation - set up by Aamir Khan & Kiran Rao and headed by Satyajit, with the mission of using the power of communication to create a people’s movement to make rural Maharashtra drought-free and prosperous. Paani Foundation works with thousands of villages on soil & water conservation and builds awareness on climate change amongst farmers and students.

Kartiki is an Academy Award winning Director & filmmaker. She is the first Indian Film Director to have ever won an Academy Award in the history of India, with 2023 The Elephant Whisperers. She is also one of the first women chosen as a Sony Alpha Artisan of Imagery in India and also associated with brands like Peak Design, Swarovski Optik Nature Explorer 2021. She is shuttles between the Nilgiri mountains in the Western Ghats of Southern India and the Pacific Northwest of North America. Gonsalves is the founder of Earth Spectrum, an organisation founded in 2018 which uses the power of storytelling to raise awareness about biodiversity and cultural life.

Dr. Pandey is India’s most revered and decorated environmental filmmaker. In his career, he has won 3 Green Oscars, won the UN ‘Son of the Earth’ award, and directly inspired 5 legislative changes in conservation with his documentary films, alongside 300+ other awards. His 2000 film Shores of Silence is responsible for banning the killing of whale sharks in India and internationally, saving them from extinction. Dr. Pandey presents ‘Earth Matters’, chairs Earth Watch Institute and Earth Matters Foundation and is the director at Riverbank Studios.