Magnificent Frigate birds soaring through a ring of light produced by tiny ice crystals in the sky, providing a unique photograph taken by Liron Gertsman in Sinaloa, Mexico to win the Grand Prize for USA & Canada residents. Taken in Chile by Esteban Alarcon, this dramatic photograph of a Ringed Kingfisher in the midst of an explosion of energy and beauty shows it elevating from the water with a ruffle that produced a flurry of spray to win the Grand Prize for Chile & Colombia.

The National Audubon Society has announced the winners of the 2025 Audubon Photography Awards. Now in its 16th year, the awards have expanded to include participants in Chile and Colombia in addition to bird photographers in the United States and Canada. New prizes that focus on migratory species, habitats, and conservation were added too, all while continuing to feature stunning photographs and videos that highlight the beauty and joy of birds and fascinating avian behaviors. This year’s Audubon Photography Awards helps tell the story of hemispheric bird conservation and highlights how birds connect people across geography and ecosystems.

This year, in addition to the 8 prizes awarded to residents of the United States and Canada, for the first time, judges awarded 9 prizes to residents of Chile and Colombia. Audubon also presented the new “Birds Without Borders Prize” that features photos of birds with migratory paths that cross international boundaries, and the “Conservation Prize” that illustrates conservation challenges that birds face or ways that addressing those challenges can help them thrive.

Previously featured prizes were also awarded this year, including the Grand Prize, Birds in Landscapes Prize, Youth Prize, Plants for Birds Prize, Female Bird Prize, and Video Prize. Two different panels judged entries anonymously and selected the Award Winners and Honorable Mention Winners for their respective regions.

Chile and Colombia have some of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes and seascapes, and many of the birds that migrate between these vibrant countries and Canada and the United States are vulnerable and in need of cooperative conservation actions. By including 2 nations in South America along with the 2 North American nations, it is hoped that showing the interconnected ecosystems will encourage people to help protect the birds that spend time in 2 continents.

To review all the Award Winners see The 2025 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners | Audubon and view the Honorable Mention Winners at The 2025 Audubon Photography Awards: Honorable Mentions | Audubon