Spencer Hitchen
2026 Eco-Hero
SHIMON SCHWARZSCHILD SPECIAL AWARD
Spencer Hitchen
Age 15
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Observe, Learn, Protect Your Local Environment
At 15 years old, Spencer Hitchen is a dynamo conservationist, environmental educator and award-winning nature photographer dedicated to safeguarding threatened species and ecosystems. His crusade to protect the vulnerable Glossy Black-Cockatoo and the unique Wallum ecosystem in his backyard began when he was just six years old. Combining a camera, scientific curiosity and a strong passion, Spencer has built a global movement that bridges the gap between youth voice, community action, conservation science and decision-making processes.
Spencer’s journey gained international momentum at age ten when his petition to save the local Wallum Woodland gathered nearly 86,000 signatures. Recognizing the absence of youth in high-level discussions, he stepped directly into corporate and political spaces. In November 2025, he became the youngest person to address a major Australian corporation’s Annual General Meeting, questioning leadership on environmental accountability. His advocacy has also reached the halls of Federal Parliament in Canberra, where his work earned him recognition from the Australian Federal Environment Minister and many other decision-makers, including the Queensland and New South Wales Environment Ministers.
Guided by his philosophy, "Observe, Learn, Protect - your Local Environment," Spencer channels art into advocacy. In 2022, he launched an annual calendar project featuring his award-winning wildlife photography. Spencer’s photography recently won the global Crikey! Photography Competition – People's Choice Award, won the BirdLife Australia Photography Awards – Youth Category, and was shortlisted in Australian Geographic's Nature Photographer of the Year – Youth Category. Spencer has gifted thousands of his annual nature education calendars to children worldwide to spark their environmental curiosity. He also founded the global iNaturalist project Our Big Backyard to collate backyard species observations globally and established World Stand UP 4 Nature Day on September 9, 2023, to inspire more people to Stand UP 4 Nature around the world and feature grassroots guardians globally.
On the ground, Spencer has been observing and documenting local threatened species for many years. His observations and data help in decision-making processes and in working with park and fire services to protect trees during controlled burns. His work locally and on all levels of government to protect threatened species has changed development laws and gained wide recognition for the youth voice in the habitat protection space. Spencer's profound impact caught the attention of international filmmakers, leading to a film being made, Love Letter to the Unseen, that follows his inspiring journey and offers a closer look at biodiversity loss from a youth perspective. This global documentary film, directed by Emmy Award-winning director Josh "Bones" Murphy and Land and Sea for All, is now screening.
Driven by a deep sense of environmental justice, Spencer co-authored the Climate Action Roadmap: Youth Forward at age 11 to channel youth eco-anxiety into structural change. He uses this roadmap as a benchmark to interview political candidates before elections, ensuring planetary health remains a priority. He has presented alongside environmental legends like Dr. Jane Goodall, Damon Gameau and Dr. Bob Brown. Spencer stands as a premier voice for global youth-led conservation.
"When we look at the global picture, it can be scary and overwhelming, but the key is to start local by caring for our surrounding ecosystems. Sometimes it is very hard to get adults to reconnect to nature when they are making decisions from a purely financial perspective, so I use my photography to remind them that they are determining my generation's future. I can’t wait until I’m old enough, otherwise there will be nothing left. We have to have hope for the future so that we can take action, and together as a collective, every single one of us can change the system."
