Audubon Photography Awards Frequently Asked Questions

All residents of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada (except Quebec) are eligible to enter the 2025 Audubon Photography Awards contest for entrants from the United States and Canada. Entrants must be at least 13 years old as of the date of the entry’s submission. Youth entrants must have the permission of a parent or legal guardian to be eligible. To grant permission, the parent or guardian must complete the first page of the entry platform on the youth entrant’s behalf.

Audubon does not have the capacity to comply with the contest laws outside of the stipulated eligible locations—for example, those in Quebec.

Employees of the National Audubon Society, its officers, directors of its national, state, and center boards, judges, and their immediate families, or those living in the same household, are not eligible to participate. Volunteer Audubon chapter leaders are eligible.

In the adult division, the online entry fee is $15 per photo or video. There is no fee to enter the Youth division. If you choose to mail prints of photographs or a USB key with video files, there is no entry fee for any of the divisions. The free-entry option is available for the duration of the contest.

The discount code can be used by student members of established Audubon on Campus chapters and by Audubon on Campus program ambassadors. The discount code will be shared in the Audubon on Campus newsletter. Learn more about Audubon's Audubon on Campus program here.

For online entries, each image MUST:

(1) depict “birdlife” and therefore must contain at least one bird;

(2) be no larger than 35 megabytes; ideally the images should be at least 3000 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or at least 3000 pixels tall (if a vertical image);

(3) be saved in RGB mode (not CMYK!); and 

(4) be saved in the JPG or JPEG format.

For mailed entries, each print MUST:

(1) depict “birdlife” and therefore must contain at least one bird;

(2) be at least 5 by 7 inches and no larger than 8 by 10 inches; do not submit framed prints.

Regardless of how you submit your photos, do not include watermarks or stamps because it’s important that the judges see the photos without knowing who took them. Entrants must not infringe on the rights of any other photographer or person, or submit images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the environment by  the photographer. Photos that do not conform to these basic requirements will not be eligible for the Audubon Photography Awards. See also “PHOTO/VIDEO ELIGIBILITY” section below.

All entries, whether online or mailed, MUST:

(1) depict “birdlife” (i.e., must contain at least one bird or bird part); 

(2) be no larger than 50 megabytes; 

(3) be a minimum of 1920 x 1080 pixels; 

(4) be an .MP4 file (preferred) or .MOV file; 

(5) have a frame rate of 24 fps or higher (slow motion is allowed); 

(6) be 3 to 30 seconds in length. 

Regardless of how you submit your videos, do not include watermarks or stamps because it’s important that the judges see the videos without knowing who took them. Entrants must not infringe on the rights of any other videographer or person, or submit videos that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the environment by the videographer. Videos that do not conform to these basic requirements will not be eligible for the Audubon Photography Awards. See also “PHOTO/VIDEO ELIGIBILITY” section below.

No, there is no limit on the number of photos or videos you may enter.

For online entries: During the photo/video-upload process, you will be asked to fill in some information boxes. If you do so accurately, your digital images/videos will be correctly named automatically.

For mailed photo entries see the form here. 

For mailed video entries see the form here.

Please review the Entry Platform FAQ. If these tips don’t resolve your  problem, please contact our Contest Help Desk here. If you don’t receive a response within two business days (you should!)  please email us at contestquestions@audubon.org.

For online entries: You will receive a confirmation email. This confirmation will list each of the photos/videos you entered and the amount your credit card was billed. Because entrants age 13 to 17 may enter the contest for free, youth division confirmations will not include billing information.

For mailed entries: If you include your email address on the entry form, we will email you to confirm we received your entry. If you do not provide an email address, we cannot send confirmation (but please include a phone number in case we need to contact you for another reason). 

Proof of receipt is not proof of eligibility or an indication of any photo’s chance of winning. If you have questions or concerns, contact our Contest Help Desk here.

You may submit entries by only ONE total means of entry: online OR by mail. If you submit photos/videos by two different means of entry, only the means of entry through which your photos/videos are first received will be valid.

For online entries: Yes. If you want to make additional submissions to the contest, you can simply return to the website and go through the entry process again. You will be billed separately. You have this option until March 5, 2025. The deadline for entries on March 5 is 12 p.m. (noon) EST; 11 a.m. CST; 10 a.m. MST; and 9 a.m. PST.

For mailed entries: Yes, you may mail submissions more than one time as long as each mailed submission is postmarked by March 5, 2025, and received by Audubon no later than March 12, 2025, and includes the mail-in entry form and the requested information for each entry. Failure to follow these requirements may result in disqualification.

No, you will be unable to review your photos/videos after they have been submitted.

No.

No, once you have officially entered your information and we have accepted your payment, we cannot offer you a refund.

To ensure a smooth entry process, we encourage you to submit your photos well before the contest deadline. High traffic in the final days may lead to server delays, which could prevent last-minute entries from being processed on time.

There are two divisions. The Adult division is for individuals 18 years of age and older. The Youth division is for individuals who are 13 to 17 years old.

In addition to the Grand Prize and the Youth Prize (if you are part of the Youth division) you may select up to three (3) prizes from the following list:

1. Birds without Borders: Photographs must depict birds that make a substantial migration (i.e, any bird that migrates far enough to cross international boundaries), taken anywhere along the bird's migration route.

2. Birds in Landscapes: Photographs should highlight the relationship between birds and the places they live. We encourage photographers to take a step back and look at the whole environment, then let the photograph tell the story of how birds connect with their larger surroundings. The setting can be wild, urban, suburban, or rural. Birds do not need to be close-up for the photograph to be successful.

3. Conservation: Photographs should illustrate conservation challenges that birds face—for example, how climate change is affecting the resources and habitat that birds need for survival. Photographs can also show how taking action to address those challenges can improve conditions for birds and help them thrive.

4. Female Birds: Photographs must depict a female bird. More elusive and typically less flashy than their male counterparts, female birds are an often overlooked and underappreciated subject of birding, bird photography, and even bird science.

5. Plants for Birds: Photographs must include birds interacting with identifiable plants (flowers, trees, bushes, grasses), all of which are native to the area in the United States or Canada in which the image was taken.

Audubon’s Plants for Birds program promotes the use of native plants, which are better for our native birds and provide many essential resources beyond perching or roosting sites. In the Audubon Photo Awards Plants for Birds category, we are especially looking for photos that tell a story of birds interacting with native plants—even in unusual ways, as shown by past winners in this category. The Plants for Birds program provides resources for identifying and finding plants native to zip codes in the United States, and because Canada and the United States share many of the same species of native plants and birds, Audubon has the in-house expertise to verify those in photographs taken in both countries. Unfortunately we don’t have the bandwidth to expand this important vetting step in the judging process to more countries at this time.

We encourage you to explore the map range of the species you photographed. If the bird crosses international boundaries, the photo can be entered in this category.

If the main subject of the image is a migratory bird then yes, you can enter. Otherwise, no.

• The photo should be either tack sharp or intentionally out of focus (slowed shutter speed to show motion, etc).

• Proper exposure and good lighting are critical. It doesn’t matter how wonderful the behavior or activity in the photo—if the lighting is poor, we will eliminate the photo.

• Take time to compose the image. The bird (or birds) doesn’t have to be in the center of the frame. An off-center subject can create dramatic tension. Also be aware of other elements in the photo, especially in the background.

• Send us something we haven’t seen before. Look for the unusual, the whimsical, the dramatic. Surprise us! We have seen thousands and thousands of bird photos, so show us something unique.

• Bird behavior (such as foraging, mating calls, preening, and bathing) makes for compelling footage. Watch and wait to capture interesting behavior.

• Hold the camera still and let the scene unfold. Think of a video as a moving portrait; don’t try to pan around.

• Take time to compose the scene. Be aware of other elements in the video, especially in the background.

• Proper exposure and good lighting are critical. Aim for light that really makes a bird’s colors pop.

• Send us something we haven’t seen before. Look for the unusual, the whimsical, the dramatic. Surprise us!

To find out more about the judges please visit this page.

Entries will be judged on the basis of technical quality, originality, and artistic merit. For more information on how each prize is awarded see the Official Rules.

Due to the volume of entries, we're unable to provide feedback on individual submissions.

There will be a total of eight (8) winners: one (1) Grand Prize winner, one (1) winner in the Youth division, one (1) Video Prize winner, one (1) Birds Without Borders Prize winner, one (1) Plants for Birds Prize winner, one (1) Conservation Prize winner, one (1) Female Bird Prize winner and one (1) Birds in Landscapes Prize winner

The winners will be determined and notified on or about mid-May 2025. Winners will be publicly announced in the Fall 2025 issue of Audubon magazine and simultaneously on Audubon's website (audubon.org).

Photos may not be digitally altered beyond standard optimization. Normal processing of original file is acceptable, including:

• cropping

• minor adjustments to color, white balance, tone, lighting levels and curves, shadows and highlights, saturation, contrast, sharpness

• moderate dodging and burning

• removal of dust spots and reduction of image noise

Photographs that have been digitally or otherwise altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. That includes:

• HDR frame stacking

• stitched panoramas

• images that have been manipulated by the addition, removal, or alteration (painting over, cloning, or blurring) of anything in the original subject and scene that was photographed

• borders, signatures or watermarks

• changes in color so significant that the processed colors are widely different from the original colors

• changes in density, contrast, color and/or saturation levels and dodging and burning that significantly alter content by obscuring or eliminating information in the photo

Please be prepared to submit your RAW file if requested by the judges. If you don't photograph in RAW, the high-resolution original will suffice (usually a JPG).

To be eligible to win a prize, all submitted videos must depict birdlife (i.e., contain at least one bird or bird part), and accurately reflect the subject matter as it appeared in the viewfinder (a “Video”). 

Normal processing of the original file is acceptable. That includes:

• Slow motion and time-lapse are allowed if recorded that way and not in post-production

• Minimal cropping (cropping works best if shooting in 4k)

• Minor adjustments to color, white balance, exposure, saturation, contrast, sharpness

• Removing sound (audio is optional)

Videos that have been digitally or otherwise altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. That includes:

• Editing clips together

• Watermarks

• Vignetting 

• Adding audio from another clip

Yes, they are.

Photos/videos taken at any time are eligible for the Photography Awards. There are no geographic restrictions beyond a prohibition on game farms, where photographers/videographers can photograph/film captive animals in what appear to be wild and natural settings. Audubon does not publish photographs/videos taken at game farms. Photos/videos taken at zoos, animal-rehabilitation centers, or nature centers are fine as long as you disclose that information in the submission process in the box called “Location of photo.” Enter private land only with permission. On public property such as parks and refuges, be aware of local regulations, hours, and closed areas.

Yes.

Yes, as long as it was not published in Audubon magazine or on any portion of Audubon’s website. Any photo previously published in Audubon or on Audubon's website (except photos published by you on Audubon’s social media platforms) is not eligible for the Awards.

No, to maintain anonymity once an image is disqualified you are not able to re-enter it, even if you change the modification that it was disqualified for.

The underlying principle for responsible bird photography/videography is a sincere respect for the birds and their habitats. When in doubt, the well-being of the birds and their habitats must come before the ambitions of the photographer/videographer. Read our guidelines for responsible bird photography here.

The Official Rules explicitly prohibit photographs or videos depicting the following situations. If submitted, such entries will be disqualified. The judges’ decision to disqualify an entry is final. 

·       birds (including chicks) that appear to be stressed or harassed 

·       birds at nests taken with wide-angle or macro lens

·       birds (including but not limited to hawks, owls, eagles, ospreys, roadrunners) lured with bait. “Bait” includes live animals (such as snakes, fish, mice, crickets, worms), dead animals or parts of animals, processed meat, and decoys such as fake mice.

·       nocturnal birds (e.g., owls, nightjars) taken with a flash at night

·       birds photographed or filmed by drones

·       birds photographed or filmed with a remotely triggered camera that uses a direct flash or for which bait or another lure has been supplied to attract the animal. Setting a camera trap around a fresh kill or cache is generally acceptable, as is the use of a flash with a filter that only lets through infrared light

·        birds photographed or filmed using playback of bird call recordings

·        images that are made using AI image generators

Photos/videos taken while chumming, which has been a standard practice on every pelagic birding trip at least since the 1940s, are eligible. It's extremely common for seabirds to follow fishing boats at sea, mainly for the potential food items being tossed overboard. There are thousands of fishing boats around the world being followed by birds daily, and the handful of birding boats doing active chumming are unlikely to change the overall behavior of the seabirds.

Although the majority of photographers are sensitive to the welfare of the bird and use bird calls in a moderate way, we made a decision to exclude photos from the contest that depict a bird called in by recordings. Overuse of call playback to get that “perfect shot” can deplete precious stores of energy in birds and attract predators. During breeding season, birds responding to calls of predators (e.g., screech owl calls) or competitors (same-species calls) are drawn away from their nests, leaving their eggs or chicks vulnerable to predation. There are also areas such as national wildlife refuges and national parks where using recordings is illegal. Because we are not able to check all these variables, we ask that no photos of birds attracted by recordings be submitted.

It's fine to be ambiguous about the exact location for the safety of the birds and the landowner.

You own the rights to your photos/videos. By entering the Audubon Photography Awards, you grant Audubon a non-exclusive license to your photos/videos for uses related to the Audubon Photography Awards only. (For the text of the full license, see the Official Rules.)  Even if you choose to allow Audubon to use your photos/videos in support of its mission, you will remain the owner of your photos/videos (see the following question).

First, it’s important to emphasize that opting in to this request is not a requirement for entry and will have no impact on the judging, which is done anonymously. Opting in allows Audubon to give your images/videos greater exposure and to use your images/videos to support its critical mission to protect birds and conserve the places they need to thrive. By checking the box on the entry form, you grant “Audubon, for free and without any claim for compensation, a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, and royalty-free right to use, reproduce, create derivative works based on the images/videos, distribute, and allow others to use the images/videos I submit to the 2025 Audubon Photography Awards in support of Audubon in any manner or media, including in its fundraising campaigns.”

The Audubon Photography Awards are expanding across the hemisphere. Just as birds connect people and places across the Americas, the Audubon Photography Awards will do the same. This hemispheric approach stems from the recognition that the majority of vulnerable bird species found in the United States spend most of their lives in the biodiverse landscapes and seascapes of Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Although all under the umbrella of the Audubon Photography Awards, residents of the United States–Canada and Chile–Colombia will enter contest submissions via separate platforms and be eligible to win distinct prizes—for a total of 17 prizes in the 2025 Audubon Photography Awards. Read here for more details.

Colombia and Chile both hold strategic conservation importance for migratory birds across the hemisphere. Chile is home to a significant number of shorebird species that migrate from the boreal forest in North America all the way south to Chilean shores, wetlands, and other ecosystems that are crucial for their survival. Colombia is home to almost 2000 bird species, more than any other nation, and is the Latin American country where Audubon has implemented and adapted conservation strategies that benefit birds and the places they live. In both countries, Audubon has been working with local and hemispheric partners for decades and has strengthened its hemispheric strategy by learning from the local experience to elevate solutions across the Americas.

For questions, contact our Contest Help Desk here.

Please email contestquestions@audubon.org