Dr Kit Prendergast aka the Bee Babette is a leading native bee scientist and science communicator. She has dedicated her life to researching native bees and communicating with the public about how to conserve our precious indigenous flower-visitors. Dr Kit has published over 80 articles, and delivered presentations and workshops to schools, research groups, landcare communities, and other beeple across the country. In recognition of her research and scicomm Dr Kit has been awarded the WA Young Tall Poppy award 2026, and is a 2026 WA Young Scientist of the Year finalist.

Dr Kit 'Bee Babette' Prendergast is one of Australia's leading native bee and pollinator experts. Despite being an early-career researcher, she has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles on pollinators, ranging from urban ecology, to fire ecology, crop pollination, monitoring methods, resource competition, natural history, pollination networks, seed production, and taxonomy, including the description of two new species. Dr Kit is currently leading the development of an Australian Native Bee & Pollinator Conservation Strategy. She was awarded the Curtin Alumni Young Achiever in 2024, and was the national Falling Walls finalist for her research on using bee hotels as bushfire recovery tools in 2025. In addition to her research, she is also a renowned science communicator, with an award-winning comedy about pollination called 'The Birds & the Bees'. She is the IUCN Wild Bee Specialist Group Vice-Chair, and is the 2026 WA Young Tall Poppy, and finalist in the Premier's Scientist of the Year.

Dr Kit Prendergast aka the Bee Babette is no ordinary scientist - she's also a performing artist! Her pseudonym the Bee Babette arose when she started performing at Fringe World Festival in its Fringey native bee theme, dressing up as a native bee and taking children on tours of a native bee photographic display. Like the Lorax is a voice for the trees, Bee Babette is a voice for the native bees. Dr Kit has toured Australia conducting native bee educational workshops for families, and has recently written and illustrated children's books about native bees through an Inspiring WA Award. With a little larva of her own, Dr Kit is passionate about ensuring the next generation have an opportunity to learn about our lovely native bees.

Melissa Zappelli is a Western Australian nature photographer and storyteller whose work explores the intricate relationships between wildlife, plants, landscape and ourselves.

Melissa's photographic interests are broad, ranging from birds, wildlife, marine mammals to wildflowers, seascapes, landscapes and the night sky. Increasingly, however, her work is less concerned with photographing subjects in isolation and more interested in relationships, pollination, behaviour, ecology, changing landscapes and the complex connections between species, place and people. Based on a rural property near Northcliffe,  Melissa spends much of her time exploring and photographing the extraordinary biodiversity of the region. Her work combines careful observation with curiosity, research and storytelling, often beginning with a photograph and following the questions it raises.
Through Wild Wing Images, Melissa also runs camps and workshops, photography and storytelling experiences that encourage people to slow down, look closely and develop their own relationship with the natural world.

Tracy is a naturopath, conservationist and native bee enthusiast passionate about the connection between human wellbeing and the health of our planet. Through education and advocacy, she inspires people to nurture backyard biodiversity, create bee-friendly gardens and reconnect with nature, reminding us that caring for our ecosystems is also caring for ourselves