One bird is preening the other, its bill buried in gray, green, and purple iridescent feathers.
In the end, wildlife photographerLiron Gertsmantook home the grand prize.
Gertsman is only 23, but he’s already making a name for himself in the field.
Rock Pigeons by Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Grand Prize Winner.Location: White Rock, British Columbia, Canada“Two pigeons face left in profile, each with one orange eye in view against a black background. One bird is preening the other, its bill buried in gray, green, and purple iridescent feathers.”
Amateur photographerKaren Blackwoodwas singled out for her stunning photograph of a chinstrap penguin.
For the 14th year, the Audubon Photography Awards celebrates the art of bird photography.
Head down, its bill is nearly touching the waters surface.
Chinstrap Penguin by Karen Blackwood/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Amateur WinnerLocation: Near Esperanza Station in Cierva Cove, Antarctica“A Chinstrap Penguin, wings outstretched, dives from an iceberg. Head down, its bill is nearly touching the water’s surface. In the background, a white and blue iceberg is capped with fresh white snow. Deeply etched lines on the iceberg’s sides appear like hashtags behind the black bird.”
In the background, a white and blue iceberg is capped with fresh white snow.
Deeply etched lines on the icebergs sides appear like hashtags behind the black bird.
Lime green algae and small purple wildflowers drape the cliff, breaking up the otherwise dark image.
Dunlin by Kieran Barlow/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Youth WinnerLocation: Barnegat Light, New Jersey, USA“A sandpiper in profile appears to have jumped from the rocks to avoid an incoming wave. The bird’s wings are behind its body, its feet just above the rock in front of a background of water droplets from the surf.”
The strands billow around her, slightly out of focus, in front of a blurred green background.
One tree is larger in the foreground and the other is smaller in the background.
More birds fly around the trees, their dark forms in contrast to the purple and blue sky.
Atlantic Puffin by Shane Kalyn/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Professional WinnerLocation: Westman Islands, Iceland“An Atlantic Puffin sits on the edge of a craggy cliffside, its head turned to the left, its white breast in sharp contrast to the gray background. Lime green algae and small purple wildflowers drape the cliff, breaking up the otherwise dark image.”
North America’s top bird photographers submitted their work for consideration.
A small fish and water droplets are suspended in the air in front of the birds open bill.
In the dark water below is the crescent silhouette of a shark, its snout nearly touching the pelican.
Baltimore Oriole by Sandra M. Rothenberg/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Female Bird Prize WinnerLocation: Warren, PA, USA“A bright yellow female Baltimore Oriole with thin light strands of grass held in her bill perches at the end of a branch and faces to the right in the frame. The strands billow around her, slightly out of focus, in front of a blurred green background.”
The bird carries a pale green caterpillar in its bill.
The winners were selected from 2,200 entries.
His brown and green head stands out against an otherwise gray background with blurred snowflakes around the frame.
Northern Hawk Owl by Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Professional Honorable MentionLocation: Thompson-Nicola, British Columbia, Canada“A Northern Hawk Owl looks directly into the camera as it perches at the tip of a frost-covered tree. Dark pine cones on the bare branches stand out against a white background, mirroring the pattern of the owl’s dark breast feathers.”
Tree Swallows and bald cypress by Vicki Santello/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Plants For Birds Honorable MentionLocation: Atchafalaya Swamp, Louisiana, USA“Thousands of Tree Swallows sit on two cypress snags in a swamp, looking like leaves. One tree is larger in the foreground and the other is smaller in the background. More birds fly around the trees, their dark forms in contrast to the purple and blue sky.”
Reddish Egret by Nathan Arnold /Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Amateur Honorable MentionLocation: San Carlos Bay – Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers, Florida, USA“A Reddish Egret stands in shallow water against a blurred yellow background, its body facing left and its wings open behind it. A small fish and water droplets are suspended in the air in front of the bird’s open bill.”
Brown Pelican by Sunil Gopalan/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Fisher Prize WinnerLocation: Galapagos National Park, Ecuador“A Brown Pelican at the top of the frame sits in the water, its wings pulled behind its body. In the dark water below is the crescent silhouette of a shark, its snout nearly touching the pelican.”
Verdin and cane cholla by Linda Scher/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Plants For Birds WinnerLocation: Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Arizona, USA“A gray Verdin with a yellow head and a small rust-colored patch on its wing stands in profile on a broken cacti branch that’s white, brown, and green. The bird carries a pale green caterpillar in its bill.”
Green-winged Teal by James Fatemi/Audubon Photography Awards/2023 Youth Honorable MentionLocation: Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia, USA“A male Green-winged Teal sits on top of a female in the water, his bill appearing to push the female’s head down. His brown and green head stands out against an otherwise gray background with blurred snowflakes around the frame.”
