Winning photos of 2023 Audubon contest reveal the secret life of birds

The National Audubon Society has announced the 2023 Photography Awards winners. The contest featured stunning photos and videos of birds from over 2,200 participants across North America, with eight prizes awarded across five divisions. It shows birds in all their glory, revealing their secret lives and beauty. The photos are so gorgeous, making even boring pigeons look like winners of a bird beauty pageant!

Now in its fourteenth year, the contest features stunning work from professional, amateur, and young photographers. It highlights the beauty of birds and the joy of capturing them through images and videos. And for the third year, the contest awarded the Female Bird Prize and the Video Prize, too.

As the name suggests, the Female Bird Prize showcases the beauty of female birds. The reason to start this category is the fact that female birds are often overlooked and underappreciated in birding, bird photography, and science. As for the Video Prize, it aims to emphasize the movement and unique behaviors of birds interacting with their habitats. There’s also the long-standing Fisher Prize, the special category recognizing the most creative approach in photographing birds, combined with technical expertise and an original composition.

Award winners and honorable mentions will be featured in the Summer 2023 issue of Audubon magazine. Enjoy the winning photos below, and make sure to visit Audubon’s website to learn more about its Plants for Birds program and Native Plants Database, and of course, to explore the winner gallery of this year’s photo contest.