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2021 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards Winners Enchant with Birdlife Imagery

The leading North American bird photography competition broadens winners with the first year of prizes for female birds and bird videos.
Several of the top-placing photos, clockwise in a grid from top left: a Red-tailed Hawk claws for a chipmunk; a Red-winged Blackbird dips her bill into a lily pad flower; a Northern Cardinal in flight; a Greater Roadrunner with its back to the camera; a Purple Sandpiper resting; a Sandhill crane adult and chick.
By 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú
Published July 07, 2021

NEW YORK â€“ Today, the 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú named the winning photographs and videos of the 2021 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards, with eight prizes across five divisions. In the twelfth year, winning entries and honorable mentions emerged from 2,416 entrants from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 10 Canadian provinces and territories.

For the first time, the competition awarded the Female Bird Prize and Video Prize. The Female Bird Prize was introduced to draw attention to female birds, which are often overlooked and underappreciated in both bird photography and conservation. The new Video category aims to illuminate unique and fascinating ways birds behave and interact with their environments. Previously featured prizes, such as the Plants for Birds Prize and Fisher Prize, were also awarded in this year’s contest.

Winning photos and videos will be featured in the Summer 2021 issue of 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú magazine. Top photos and honorable mentions will also be showcased in a virtual 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards exhibit. The 2021 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards team worked in collaboration with the photographers to ensure that the intent and essence of each photo was incorporated into vibrant alternative text in order to make the awards accessible to the largest audience possible.

As these photos and videos enchant people with the beauty of birds, two-thirds of North American birds are threatened by extinction from climate change according to 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú’s 2019 climate science report, including species featured in the winning and forthcoming Top 100 collections. Learn more about how climate change will affect the birds in your backyard and communities by entering your zip code into 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú‘s interactive Birds and Climate Visualizer.

At last, the winners of the 2021 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards:

Grand Prize

Greater Roadrunner. Photo: Carolina Fraser/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Grand Prize

 

Professional Award Winner

Northern Cardinal. Photo: Steve Jessmore/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Professional Award Winner

 

Amateur Award Winner

Sandhill Crane. Photo: Robin Ulery/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Amateur Award Winner

 

Youth Award Winner

Purple Sandpiper. Photo: Arav Karighattam/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Youth Award Winner

 

Plants for Birds Award Winner

Red-winged Blackbird and lily pad. Photo: Shirley Donald/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Plants For Birds Award Winner

 

Video Award Winner

Red-tailed Hawk. Photo: Bill Bryant/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Video Award Winner

 

Female Bird Prize

Northern Harrier. Photo: Elizabeth Yicheng Shen/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Female Bird Prize

 

Fisher Prize

Anna’s Hummingbird. Photo: Patrick Coughlin/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Fisher Prize

 

Professional Honorable Mention

Red-tailed Hawk. Photo: Steve Jessmore/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Professional Honorable Mention

 

Amateur Honorable Mention

Peregrine Falcon. Photo: Tom Ingram/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Amateur Honorable Mention

 

Youth Honorable Mention

Canada Goose. Photo: Josiah Launstein/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Youth Honorable Mention

 

Plants for Birds Honorable Mention

Anna’s Hummingbird and cattail. Photo: Karen Boyer Guyton/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Plants For Birds Honorable Mention

 

Video Honorable Mention

Great Gray Owl. Video: Brent Cizek/51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards/2021 Video Honorable Mention

 

2021 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 during the 2022 season.

Meet the 2021 Contest Judges:

  • Mike Fernandez, video producer, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú
  • Sean Graesser, biologist, conservation photographer, and founding member and creative director of Wild Bird Research Group
  • Sabine Meyer, photography director, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú
  • Kathy Moran, deputy director of photography, National Geographic Partners
  • Allen Murabayashi, co-founder, PhotoShelter
  • John Rowden, senior director of bird-friendly communities, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú
  • Tara Tanaka, bird photographer, videographer, and Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year (2011 and 2012)
  • Founders of the Galbatross Project:
    • Brooke Bateman, senior scientist, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú
    • Stephanie Beilke, conservation scientist, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Great Lakes
    • Martha Harbison, senior network content editor, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú
    • Purbita Saha, member, Bergen County 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Society, and former 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú magazine editor 
    • Joanna Wu, avian biologist, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú

Judging Criteria & Official Rules:

To learn more about 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú’s Plants for Birds program and Native Plants Database, please visit: /native-plants.

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About 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú

51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú 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, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú 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: Chandler Lennon, chandler.lennon@audubon.org, 804.832.0832