The Society of Wildlife Artists

What The Society of Wildlife Artists does

The Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) is a UK registered charity (Charity Number 328717) founded in 1964 by Robert Gillmor, Sir Peter Scott, Keith Shackleton, and Eric Ennion. Headquartered at 17 Carlton House Terrace, London, co-located with the Federation of British Artists, SWLA operates as a membership society for professional wildlife artists, comprising 75 elected members plus associates, honorary members, and Friends supporters. Its purpose is to generate appreciation and delight in the natural world through fine art inspired by wildlife.

SWLA's core offerings center on The Natural Eye, the society's flagship annual exhibition held at Mall Galleries in London, showcasing selected paintings, drawings, original prints, and sculpture from members and open submissions (350+ works selected in recent years). Beyond the flagship show, the society organizes multi-year field projects and artist residencies — including the Massingham Heath Project (2025-2026), the Wadden Sea Project (Denmark, 2019-2022), the BTO/SWLA Flightlines Project (2014-2016), and the Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project (2014-2017). Supporting programmes include bursaries (nearly 100 awarded since 1993, typically £150-£500 each), educational courses such as the John Busby Seabird Drawing Course and the Drawing the Natural World residential at Clayhill Arts, and publications including the Wadden Sea Project Book and Art Book One. The society maintains long-standing partnerships with RSPB, the British Trust for Ornithology, the Wildlife Trusts, and the Artists for Nature Foundation, and operates the SWLA Original Artwork Draw charity lottery (£50 per ticket).

SWLA's revenue model is diversified across five streams: recurring membership subscriptions (members, associates, Friends), one-time exhibition submission fees, charitable donations and legacies, the Artwork Draw lottery, and publication sales. Pricing is fixed rather than tiered, with the Artwork Draw at £50/ticket and bursaries capped in the £150-£500 range. The organisation is led by an elected council headed by President Harriet Mead, with Vice President Bruce Pearson, Secretary John Foker, and Treasurer Max Angus. There are no parent companies, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or M&A activity; SWLA operates as an autonomous non-profit.

Name

The Society of Wildlife Artists

Legal name

The Society of Wildlife Artists

Website

https://swla.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Society of Wildlife Artists is a UK registered charity founded in 1964 that supports 75 elected professional wildlife artists through an annual exhibition at Mall Galleries London, field residencies, bursaries, and conservation partnerships with RSPB, BTO, and Wildlife Trusts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Art Society

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAB

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYTHAAAFAG

Wildlife Interpretation & Education Centers (Visitor Centers, Museums)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations)

Keywords

• Wildlife art society
• Art exhibitions
• Artist bursaries
• Conservation art
• Fine art prints

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership fees for members, associate members, and Friends of the SWLA provide recurring revenue and a dedicated supporter base.
2. Artwork Draw: Original artwork lottery draw at £50 per ticket, with proceeds supporting bursaries and opportunities for artists. Sold primarily to Friends first, then public.
3. Exhibition submissions: Submission fees for artists to exhibit at the annual Natural Eye exhibition and other shows.
4. Donations and legacies: Charitable donations, legacy gifts, and support from benefactors, sponsors and partners to fund bursaries and society activities.
5. Publications: Sale of publications including the Wadden Sea Project Book and Art Book One.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Society of Wildlife Artists is a UK registered charity that promotes wildlife art through an annual flagship exhibition (The Natural Eye) at Mall Galleries in London, supported by bursary programs for emerging artists, field-based wildlife art projects and residencies, a residential drawing course, a charity Original Artwork Draw lottery, and sale of project publications. The society's members are elected professional wildlife artists, and its mission is to generate appreciation and delight in the natural world through fine art.

Product overview

The Society of Wildlife Artists is an arts organization that operates as a membership-based society rather than a commercial product company. Its core offerings center on The Natural Eye annual exhibition at Mall Galleries in London, showcasing member artwork including paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture. The society supports emerging artists through bursary programs (John Busby Seabird Drawing Course Bursary and Natural Eye Bursary) and organizes wildlife art projects and residencies such as the Massingham Heath Project and Wadden Sea Project. Additional offerings include educational courses like the Drawing the Natural World residential program, the Original Artwork Draw charity lottery, and publications documenting society projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100 bursaries awarded since 1993
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on Flightlines project tracking bird migration, combining scientific research with artistic documentation. The BTO/SWLA Flightlines Project followed summer visitors like cuckoos on their migrations between Britain and Africa.
• RSPBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe society has deep ties with RSPB, including sponsored awards at exhibitions, project collaborations like Wallasea Island, and Robert Gillmor designed the RSPB's distinctive avocet logo.
• Federation of British Artists (FBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWLA is a member of the FBA, which provides administrative support and is co-located at 17 Carlton House Terrace, London. FBA helps direct queries and provides institutional support.
• Artists for Nature FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple SWLA members participate in Artists for Nature Foundation/WWF projects internationally, including in Holland, Poland, Peru, Ecuador, and other locations.
• Wildlife TrustsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on various projects including the Wildlife Trust Undersea Art Award (2012-2016) and collaboration on conservation-focused art initiatives.
• Nature in Art MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobert Gillmor was a strategic council member and supporter of Nature in Art, the world's first museum dedicated exclusively to fine art inspired by nature.
• TerravestaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Natural Eye 2019 exhibition, Terravesta is a sustainable energy company pioneering energy from Miscanthus.
• Birdwatch MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Artist of the Year Award at the Natural Eye exhibition, providing prize money and Swarovski optics.
• Birdscapes GalleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Conservation Through Art Award at Natural Eye exhibitions, providing prize money split between artist and conservation charity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Federation of British Artists: Umbrella body for UK art societies that co-houses SWLA at 17 Carlton House Terrace and provides administrative support. Comparable as the parent federation governing multiple constituent art societies with shared exhibition infrastructure.
• Royal Society of Wildlife Artists: UK-based society for wildlife art under a royal charter with broader fine-art inclusion criteria. Comparable as a parallel UK wildlife art society with elected membership, exhibitions, and conservation partnerships.

Direct peers

• Nature in Art Museum: The world's first museum dedicated exclusively to fine art inspired by nature, located in Gloucestershire. Comparable as a UK institution collecting and exhibiting wildlife/nature art with deep ties to SWLA members and leadership.
• Society of Animal Artists: US-based nonprofit society dedicated to animal and wildlife art, with an annual exhibition and elected membership. Directly comparable as the leading wildlife art society in North America, with a similar membership-and-exhibition operating model.
• Artists for Nature Foundation: International nonprofit organizing artist residencies in natural habitats to produce conservation-focused wildlife art. Directly comparable because SWLA members participate in ANF projects and both organizations blend field art with conservation outcomes.
• Woodson Art Museum (Birds in Art): Museum in Wisconsin hosting the annual Birds in Art exhibition, which has honored SWLA-affiliated artists. Comparable as a flagship US wildlife art exhibition with international reach that SWLA members participate in.

Others

• RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds): Largest UK bird conservation charity and core SWLA strategic partner, sponsoring awards and joint projects. Comparable because of shared conservation mission, overlapping audience of conservation-engaged supporters, and recurring exhibition partnerships.

Regional players

• Wildlife Art Society of Australasia: Australasian wildlife art society running exhibitions and supporting wildlife artists. Comparable as a regional equivalent of SWLA serving a different geography with a similar member-and-exhibition model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cengiztapan
• Xx.com/swlanaturaleye
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swla

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Society of Wildlife Artists