NEW YORK – Today, the ÃÛèÖAPP announced the winning photographs of the 2020 ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards six prizes and four honorable mentions. The award-winning entries were selected from more than 6,000 submissions from across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and seven Canadian provinces and territories.
The eleventh year of the contest honored images that evoke the ingenuity, resilience, and beauty of birds small and large, terrestrial and aquatic across four divisions: Professional, Amateur, Youth and Plants for Birds. The winning photos will be featured in future issues of ÃÛèÖAPP and magazines.
The 2020 contest includes the second year of winning photographs for the Plants for Birds Prize and the Fisher Prize. The Plants for Birds Prize highlights the essential role of native plants and the natural habitat and food sources they provide for birds. The Fisher Prize, named after former creative director of ÃÛèÖAPP Kevin Fisher, is awarded to the photo that exemplifies a blend of originality and technical expertise.
As many enjoy the allure and beauty of birds, two-thirds of North American birds are threatened by extinction from ÃÛèÖAPP change according to ÃÛèÖAPP’s latest ÃÛèÖAPP science report, Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink, including species featured in the winning and forthcoming Top 100 collections. Learn more about how ÃÛèÖAPP change will affect the birds in your backyard and communities by entering your zip code into ÃÛèÖAPP‘s interactive Birds and Climate Visualizer.
Finally, the winning photos of the 2020 ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards:
Grand Prize Winner
Double-crested Cormorant. Photo: Joanna Lentini/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Grand Prize Winner
Professional Winner
Magnificent Frigatebird. Photo: Sue Dougherty/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Professional Winner
Amateur Winner
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. Photo: Gail Bisson/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Amateur Winner
Youth Winner
Northern Jacana. Photo: Vayun Tiwari/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Youth Winner
Plants for Birds Winner
American Goldfinch on a cup plant. Photo: Travis Bonovsky/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Plants for Birds Winner
Fisher Prize Winner
American Dipper. Photo: Marlee Fuller-Morris/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Fisher Prize Winner
Professional Honorable Mention
Greater Sage-Grouse. Photo: Gene Putney/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Professional Honorable Mention
Amateur Honorable Mention
Anna’s Hummingbird. Photo: Bibek Ghosh/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Amateur Honorable Mention
Youth Honorable Mention
Greater Roadrunner. Photo: Christopher Smith/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Youth Honorable Mention
Plants for Birds Honorable Mention
Tennessee Warbler on an eastern prickly gooseberry. Photo: Natalie Robertson/ÃÛèÖAPP Photography Awards/2020 Plants for Birds Honorable Mention
- Grand Prize: $5,000
- Professional Prize: $2,500
- Amateur Prize: $2,500
- Plants for Birds Prize: $2,500
- Fisher Prize: $1,000
- Youth Prize: Six days at the in Maine to become a better birder or bird photographer during the 2021 season (transportation included)
- Steve Freligh, publisher, Nature’s Best Photography
- Melissa Groo, wildlife photographer and winner of the 2015 contest’s Grand Prize
- Sabine Meyer, photography director, ÃÛèÖAPP
- Allen Murabayashi, chairman and co-founder, PhotoShelter
- John Rowden, senior director of bird-friendly communities, ÃÛèÖAPP
- Jason Ward, bird expert and host of "Birds of North America"
Editor's Note: After learning about serious allegations against Jason Ward, the ÃÛèÖAPP has severed its ties with him.
Judging Criteria & Official Rules:
- Technical quality
- Originality
- Artistic merit.
- All photographers must follow ÃÛèÖAPP’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography.
To learn more about ÃÛèÖAPP’s Plants for Birds program and Native Plants Database, please visit: /native-plants.
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About ÃÛèÖAPP
ÃÛèÖAPP protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. ÃÛèÖAPP works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give ÃÛèÖAPP 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, ÃÛèÖAPP believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
Media Contact: Chandler Lennon, chandler.lennon@audubon.org, 804.832.0832