NEW YORK – The National Audubon Society, in association with Nature’s Best Photography, announces its annual bird photography contest. Judges include birding legend Kenn Kaufman and 2015 Grand Prize winner Melissa Groo. Winning photographs will be published in Audubon magazine, Nature’s Best Photography magazine and will also be displayed within the 2017 Nature’s Best Photography Exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. More information on contest rules of entry, prizes and FAQs below.
Categories:
Professional (individuals currently earning more than $5,000 per year selling photography)
Amateur (individuals currently earning less than $5,000 per year selling photography)
Youth (individuals aged 13 to 17 who are making less than $5,000 a year selling photography; children 12 years old or younger are not eligible)
Entry Period:
January 6, 2017–February 20, 2017. (Entries no longer accepted after 11:59:59pm EST on February 20, 2017.)
$15 per image entry fee from January 6 through February 13, 2017
$20 per image entry fee from February 14 through February 20, 2017
No entry fee for Youth Category entries or mailed-in entries.
No limit to number of images submitted.
Prizes:
Grand Prize: $5,000 (USD)
Professional Prize: $2,500 (USD)
Amateur Prize: $2,500 (USD)
Youth Prize:Six days at Audubon’s Hog Island Photography Camp on June 11-16, 2017 for the winner and one parent/legal guardian. More info here.
Judges will score eligible photographs using the following criteria: a) Technical Quality (30 percent); b) Originality (30 percent); and c) Artistic Merit (40 percent). Judges include:
Kevin Fisher, creative director, National Audubon Society
Steve Freligh, publisher, Nature’s Best Photography
Melissa Groo, wildlife photographer and 2015 Grand Prize winner
Kenn Kaufman, bird expert and Audubon field editor
Sabine Meyer, photography director, National Audubon Society
For more information on the Audubon Photography Awards, please read our Frequently Asked Questions. Last year’s winners can be found here.
Contest begins 1/6/17 and ends 2/20/17. Must be at least 13 years of age and a legal resident of the U.S. or Canada (excluding Quebec) to enter. Entrants under the age of majority must get permission from their parent or legal guardian to enter. Subject to Official Rules, which will be posted 1/6/17. Void where prohibited.
About Audubon
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon’s vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety on Twitter and Instagram.
