Audubon Announces 2023 Audubon Photography Awards Winners

NEW YORK – Today the National Audubon Society announced the winners of the 2023 Audubon Photography Awards. Now in its fourteenth year, the contest features stunning work from professionals, amateurs, and young people that highlights the beauty of birds and the joy of capturing them through photographs and videos. Judges awarded eight prizes across five divisions, with winning entries and honorable mentions chosen from 2,200 entrants from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and 8 Canadian provinces and territories.  

For the third year, Audubon awarded the Female Bird Prize and the Video Prize. The Female Bird Prize showcases the beauty of female birds, which are often overlooked and underappreciated in birding, bird photography, and science, and the Video Prize celebrates the dynamic movement and unique behaviors of birds interacting with their habitats. The long-standing Fisher Prize recognizes the most creative approach in photographing birds, combined with technical expertise and an original composition. 

Audubon’s climate science report Survival by Degrees reveals that two-thirds of North American birds are threatened by extinction from climate change, including species featured in this year’s Audubon Photography Awards like the Dunlin, Short-eared Owl, and Baltimore Oriole. Learn more about how climate change will impact birds in your communities by entering your zip code into Audubon’s Birds and Climate Visualizer. 

Award winners and honorable mentions will be featured in the Summer 2023 issue of Audubon magazine.  

Grand Prize Winner 

Rock Pigeons. Photo: Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Grand Prize Winner 

Professional Winner 

Atlantic Puffin. Photo: Shane Kalyn/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Professional Winner 

Amateur Winner 

Chinstrap Penguin. Photo: Karen Blackwood/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Amateur Winner 

Plants For Birds Winner 

Verdin and cane cholla. Photo: Linda Scher/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Plants For Birds Winner 

Youth Winner 

Dunlin. Photo: Kieran Barlow/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Youth Winner 

Video Winner

Short-eared Owl. Video: Steven Chu/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Video Winner 

Fisher Prize Winner 

Brown Pelican. Photo: Sunil Gopalan/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Fisher Prize Winner 

Female Bird Prize Winner 

Baltimore Oriole. Photo: Sandra M. Rothenberg/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Female Bird Prize Winner 

Professional Honorable Mention 

Northern Hawk Owl. Photo: Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Professional Honorable Mention 

Amateur Honorable Mention 

Reddish Egret. Photo: Nathan Arnold /Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Amateur Honorable Mention 

Plants For Birds Honorable Mention 

Tree Swallows and bald cypress. Photo: Vicki Santello/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Plants For Birds Honorable Mention 

Youth Honorable Mention 

Green-winged Teal. Photo: James Fatemi/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Youth Honorable Mention 

Video Honorable Mention 

Osprey. Video: Steven Chu/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Video Honorable Mention 

2023 Contest Prizes: 
Grand Prize: $5,000 USD 
Professional Prize: $2,500 USD 
Amateur Prize: $2,500 USD 
Plants for Birds Prize: $2,500 USD 
Video Prize: $2,500 USD 
Female Bird Prize: $1,000 USD 
Fisher Prize: $1,000 USD 
Youth Prize: Six days at Audubon's Hog Island Audubon Camp for teens during the 2024 season 

The 2023 panel of judges: 

• Sabine Meyer, photography director, National Audubon Society 
• Preeti Desai, senior director of social media & storytelling, National Audubon Society 
• Melissa Hafting, conservation photographer and youth nature educator 
• Morgan Heim, conservation photographer, filmmaker and adventurer 
• Noppadol Paothong, nature/conservation photographer 
• Marlene Pantin, partnerships manager, Plants for Birds, National Audubon Society 
• Mike Fernandez, video producer, National Audubon Society 
• Rina Miele, wildlife photographer and videographer 
• Mick Thompson, wildlife photographer and videographer 
• Karine Aigner, conservation photographer 
• Founders of the Galbatross Project:  
  • Brooke Bateman, director of climate science, National Audubon Society  
  • Stephanie Beilke, conservation manager, conservation science, National Audubon Society  
  • Martha Harbison, senior network content editor, National Audubon Society  
  • Purbita Saha, member, Bergen County Audubon Society, and former Audubon magazine editor   
  • Joanna Wu, PhD student at the University of California, Los Angeles 

All photos and videos are judged based on technical quality, originality, and artistic merit and must adhere to Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and Videography. For more information, please visit the official contest rules.  

To learn more about Audubon’s Plants for Birds program and Native Plants Database, please visit https://www.audubon.org/native-plants.  

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About Audubon  
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @audubonsociety.   

Media Contact:  
Megan Moriarty, megan.moriarty@audubon.org