Calling out to all birders with cameras: The annual Audubon bird photography contest is open for entries in 8 categories, and if you take videos of birds, there is a Video category for your best production too. You have until March 4th to enter your photos or videos, which actually gives you another 5 weeks to come up with your best composition yet – Good Luck! Judges will score eligible photos and videos their technical quality, originality, and artistic merit. In addition to bragging rights, significant cash prizes are awarded for the winners in 7 categories.
Prizes include a Grand Prize to the best photograph among all entries, a Youth prize (ages 13 thru 17), a Video prize, a Birds Without Borders prize, a Female Bird photo prize, a Birds in Landscapes prize, a Conservation prize, and a Plants for Birds prize. Prizes range from $5,000 to $1,500 in US cash; but the Youth prize is a Trip to Hog Island Audubon Camp for Teens (up to 1 week). The Grand Prize of $5,000 also includes a remarkable trip – an Expedition Cruise with HX Expeditions for the winner and a guest!
For more information about the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards, sponsored by the National Audubon Society, please refer to Audubon Photography Awards | Audubon
To get an impression of the quality of photographs being submitted for judging, you can refer to The 2025 Audubon Photography Awards: The Top 100 | Audubon, which provides an insight into how remarkable the photographs are that birders are taking today! How did some of these images not win a prize?! The photos also show how international birding and bird photography has become – the birds depicted and the locations where they were photographed are quite remarkable!