The Majesty of Birds Celebrated in the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards

Spotlight
Matt Growcoot
A triptych showing a bald eagle in a grassy field, a bird flying through a sea cave at sunset, and a great horned owl perched on a branch.
Left to right: Lourdes Venard, Marcelo Carcamo Vera, and Francisco Castro Escobar.

The National Audubon Society has unveiled the winners of the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards, a competition that captures the beauty of birds and the challenges they face.

The competition, now in its seventeenth year, is split into two geographic areas: Chile and Colombia, as well as the United States and Canada. This is to highlight “how birds connect people across geographies and ecosystems.”

Judges awarded nine prizes to Chile and Colombia residents and eight prizes to U.S. and Canada residents. This year, in addition to $5,000, grand prize winners each received a voyage to Antarctica with HX Expeditions.

Chile and Colombia

A great horned owl with bright yellow eyes perches on a weathered, textured cactus branch next to a small, spiky cactus.
Lesser-horned owl. Grand prize winner, Chile and Colombia. | Francisco Castro Escobar
Two yellow-faced parrots perched on a tree trunk, touching beaks near a nesting hole.
Yellow-eared parrot. Plants for birds, Colombia – winner. | Santiago Giraldo
A green parrot with a yellow head sits atop a tall, bare tree trunk against a backdrop of misty, terraced hills.
Yellow-eared parrot. Conservation – winner. | Santiago Perez Rincon
A falcon with dark, speckled plumage and a banded tail flies with its wings spread against a dark, rocky background.
Oilbird. Birds in landscapes, Colombia – winner. | Faber Mosquera Alvarez
A bright orange Andean cock-of-the-rock bird with black wings perches on a mossy tree branch in a lush, green forest.
Andean cock-of-the-rock. Birds in landscapes, Colombia – honorable mention. | Cristian Camilo Castano Vargas
A bird flies through the opening of a dark sea cave at sunset, with waves crashing below.
Red-legged cormorant. Coastal birds of Chile – honorable mention. | Marcelo Carcamo Vera
A Canada warbler with a gray back and yellow breast with black spots perches on a thin branch above a small spider web.
Canada warbler. Youth – winner. | Juan David Camacho Marquez
A vibrant hummingbird with a red crown and orange tail hovers in mid-air among green plants with spiky, orange-flowered heads.
Ruby-topaz hummingbird. Youth – honorable mention. | Camilo Sanabria Grajales

U.S. and Canada

A roseate spoonbill splashes in dark water, its pink wings spread wide and its distinctive flat bill pointed to the left.
Roseate spoonbill. Grand Prize winner, U.S. and Canada. | Jacqueline Burke
A volcanic eruption spews glowing red lava and dark ash into the air, with thick white smoke billowing across a rocky landscape.
White-tailed tropicbird. Birds in landscapes – winner. | Liron Gertsman
A great blue heron stands in dark, still water covered in small white flowers, framed by cypress trees draped in moss.
Great blue heron. Birds in landscapes – honorable mention. | Jay Vanos
A common merganser in flight over water, holding a small fish in its beak against a backdrop of ice and blue water.
Common merganser. Female bird – winner. | Gail Bisson
A Gila woodpecker with black and white barred wings feeds on the nectar of a white saguaro cactus blossom surrounded by green buds.
Gila woodpecker and saguaro cactus. Plants for birds – winner. | Mike Henry
A dark-feathered cormorant flies through the air while carrying a bundle of nesting material in its beak.
Brandt’s cormorant and surfgrass. Plants for birds – honorable mention. | Kevin Lohman
A large flock of pelicans stands on a sandy beach with a large, misty rock formation in the background and one bird in flight.
Brown pelican. Birds without borders – honorable mention | Erich Podbielski
Northern gannets nest on a dark, craggy cliffside, with one bird hanging dead from a tangle of discarded blue fishing nets.
Northern gannets. Conservation – winner. | Josh Galicki
A bald eagle stands in a grassy roadside field with a blurred car approaching in the background.
Bald eagle. Conservation – honorable mention. | Lourdes Venard

Other prizes include the second annual birds without borders prize, depicting birds with migratory paths that cross international boundaries, and the conservation prize, illustrating conservation challenges that birds face or how addressing those challenges can help them thrive. Two separate panels judged entries anonymously and selected the winners and honorable mentions for their respective regions.

Winners and honorable mentions are published online in English and Spanish, and winners will be featured in the fall 2026 print issue of Audubon magazine. The annual top 100 photos will be announced on September 23, 2026, and additional selections will be featured in digital galleries on Audubon’s website throughout the year.

The 2027 Audubon Photography Awards will open for entries on January 13, 2027. Visit Audubon’s website for details on the Chile and Colombia and U.S. and Canada contests.

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