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9 July 2020
The National Audubon Society has announced the winning photographs of the Audubon Photography Awards six prizes and four honorable mentions. The award-winning entries were selected from more than 6,000 submissions from across all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and seven Canadian provinces and territories.
The 11th year of the contest honored images that evoke the ingenuity, resilience and beauty of birds small and large, terrestrial and aquatic across four divisions: Professional, Amateur, Youth and Plants for Birds. The winning photos will be featured in future issues of Audubon and Nature's Best Photography magazines.
Following is a slide show of the winners and honorable mentions:
The contest featured the second year of winning photographs for the Plants for Birds Prize and the Fisher Prize.
The Plants for Birds prize highlights the role of native plants and the natural habitat and food sources they provide for birds. The Fisher Prize, named after former creative director of Audubon Kevin Fisher, is awarded to the photo that exemplifies a blend of originality and technical expertise.
For more information see the news release below.
2020 Audubon Photography Awards Winners Display the Magic of Avian Life
In its eleventh year, North America's premier bird photography competition showcases the splendor of birds through captivating photographs.
NEW YORK -- Today, the National Audubon Society announced the winning photographs of the Audubon Photography Awards six prizes and four honorable mentions. The award-winning entries were selected from more than 6,000 submissions from across all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and seven Canadian provinces and territories.
The eleventh year of the contest honored images that evoke the ingenuity, resilience and beauty of birds small and large, terrestrial and aquatic across four divisions: Professional, Amateur, Youth and Plants for Birds. The winning photos will be featured in future issues of Audubon and Nature's Best Photography magazines.
The contest includes the second year of winning photographs for the Plants for Birds Prize and the Fisher Prize. The Plants for Birds Prize highlights the essential role of native plants and the natural habitat and food sources they provide for birds. The Fisher Prize, named after former creative director of Audubon Kevin Fisher, is awarded to the photo that exemplifies a blend of originality and technical expertise.
As many enjoy the allure and beauty of birds, two-thirds of North American birds are threatened by extinction from climate change according to Audubon's latest climate science report, Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink, including species featured in the winning and forthcoming Top 100 collections. Learn more about how climate change will affect the birds in your backyard and communities by entering your ZIP code into Audubon's interactive Birds and Climate Visualizer.
The winning photos
- Grand Prize Winner: Double-crested Cormorant by Joanna Lentini
- Professional Winner: Magnificent Frigatebird by Sue Dougherty
- Amateur Winner: Bare-throated Tiger-Heron by Gail Bisson
- Youth Winner: Northern Jacana by Vayun Tiwari
- Plants for Birds Winner: American Goldfinch on a cup plant by Travis Bonovsky
- Fisher Prize Winner: American Dipper by Marlee Fuller-Morris
Honorable mentions include:
- Professional Honorable Mention: Greater Sage-Grouse by Gene Putney
- Amateur Honorable Mention: Anna's Hummingbird by Bibek Ghosh
- Youth Honorable Mention: Greater Roadrunner by Christopher Smith
- Plants for Birds Honorable Mention: Tennessee Warbler on an eastern prickly gooseberry by Natalie Robertson
2020 Contest Prizes:
- Grand Prize: $5,000
- Professional Prize: $2,500
- Amateur Prize: $2,500
- Plants for Birds Prize: $2,500
- Fisher Prize: $1,000
- Youth Prize: Six days at the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine to become a better birder or bird photographer during the 2021 season (transportation included)
Meet the Contest Judges:
- Steve Freligh, publisher, Nature's Best Photography
- Melissa Groo, wildlife photographer and winner of the 2015 contest's Grand Prize
- Sabine Meyer, photography director, National Audubon Society
- Allen Murabayashi, chairman and co-founder, PhotoShelter
- John Rowden, senior director of bird-friendly communities, National Audubon Society
- Jason Ward, bird expert and host of "Birds of North America"
Judging Criteria & Official Rules:
- Technical quality
- Originality
- Artistic merit.
- All photographers must follow Audubon's Guide to Ethical Bird Photography.
To learn more about Audubon's Plants for Birds program and Native Plants Database, please visit: https://www.audubon.org/native-plants.