Meet the 2025 Judges

Judges for the United States–Canada contest include:

Grand, Plants for Birds, Birds Without Borders, Conservation, Birds in Landscapes Prizes

• Sabine Meyer, photography director, National Audubon Society
• Lucas Bustamante, environmental photojournalist and biologist
• Daniel Dietrich, wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and cinematographer
• Evan Barrientos, photographer, filmmaker, and strategic communicator for Audubon Rockies
• Mary Anne Karren, conservation photographer
• Marlene Pantin, senior program manager, Plants for Birds, National Audubon Society
• Emily Tallo, bird and nature photographer

Video Prize

• Mike Fernandez, video producer, National Audubon Society
• Morgan Heim, conservation photographer, filmmaker, and adventurer
• Mick Thompson, bird photographer and videographer

Female Bird Prize

• Founders of the Galbatross Project: Brooke Bateman, Stephanie Beilke, Martha Harbison, Joanna Wu
• Elizabeth Yicheng Shen, wildlife and nature photographer

Sabine Meyer

Sabine Meyer is the photography director for the National Audubon Society. She has worked for major national consumer magazines and a roster of clients in the not-for-profit and academic worlds. Sabine is an affiliate with the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) and serves on the faculty at the School of the International Center of Photography, where she teaches photo editing and conservation storytelling. She also spent close to a decade as the co-founding director and curator of Fovea Exhibitions, a Beacon, New York–based nonprofit gallery advocating visual literacy through photojournalism and documentary photography. She mentors and reviews photo portfolios regularly and has recently volunteered for Vital Impacts and Women Photograph.

Lucas Bustamante 

Lucas Bustamante grew up around the Ecuadorian outdoors and became a passionate biologist and an environmental photojournalist. His goal is to use photography to promote wildlife conservation, and to that end, he manages projects throughout South America, Africa, and Asia. Lucas co-founded Tropical Herping and Savia Fund, a photo tour company and an Ecuadorian nonprofit that works in the legal defense of nature, environmental and cultural conservation, and visual storytelling. Books he’s written include Reptiles of Ecuador, and he has described 13 new species for science. His photographic work has been featured in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Smithsonian, Audubon, and many other magazines, books, photo exhibitions, and articles. Lucas is a Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature’s Best prize winner. He is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), and Nature Picture Library represents his images.

Daniel Dietrich

Daniel Dietrich is an award-winning wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and cinematographer living in Inverness, California. His photographs, videos, and writings have been featured on TV, in multiple films, and in numerous publications, including Audubon, National Geographic, ABC, PBS, Outdoor Photographer, and the Los Angeles Times. His commitment to ethics in wildlife photography is of the utmost importance in his work. Daniel sits on the ethics committee for the North America Nature Photography Association (NANPA), founded the non-profit Conservation Kids, and operates Point Reyes Safaris, a wildlife photography safari company focusing on wild bobcats and other wildlife in Northern California. Daniel is deeply committed to the protection and restoration of Point Reyes National Seashore.

Evan Barrientos

Evan Barrientos is a photographer, filmmaker, and strategic communicator based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Evan uses visual storytelling to build appreciation for overlooked species and habitats and support for conservation solutions. A common theme of his work is active stewardship of nature. As the senior communications manager for Audubon Rockies, his work supports conservation of the sagebrush steppe, shortgrass prairie, Great Salt Lake wetlands, and Colorado’s river systems. Evan also runs a long-term multimedia project called Fireforest to build support and understanding for Western forest restoration. Whatever the topic, his goal is to drive real change for conservation.

Mary Anne Karren

Mary Anne Karren is a lifelong lover of art, science, and the natural world from Salt Lake City, Utah. Mary Anne became a conservation photographer almost overnight when she realized that the vast and seemingly permanent Great Salt Lake (on the shores of which her city is built) is absolutely covered with birds, outrageously beautiful, and deeply imperiled. She set out with her camera to convey a new narrative and a sense of connection with this unique ecosystem, juxtaposing the vibrant birdlife of Great Salt Lake with its otherworldly landscapes. Mary Anne serves on the board of FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake, and her work has appeared in Audubon and High Country News.

Marlene Pantin

Marlene Pantin brings an interdisciplinary background to her work at the National Audubon Society with broad experience in behavioral health, applied research and policy. She currently serves as the senior program manager for the Plants for Birds program. Her work leading Plants for Birds involves utilizing strategic partnerships and collaborations to advance native plant use at the local and national level as a means of supporting Audubon’s conservation efforts to protect birds. She is the founder and executive director of a local community nonprofit dedicated to conserving urban parks and recreational spaces and co-founder of a borough-wide parks’ advocacy organization.

Emily Tallo

Emily Tallo is a bird and nature photographer based in Chicago. She developed a passion for birds and bird photography during the pandemic while completing her Ph.D. in political science at the University of Chicago. She is passionate about capturing birds thriving in wild spaces within the urban environment, especially on the south side of Chicago. She organizes and leads bird-related events for nature lovers of all abilities through the Chicago chapter of the Feminist Bird Club. As a researcher of international relations, she often takes the opportunity to see and photograph birds during research trips to India and elsewhere around the world. She enjoys photographing bird species in grassland habitats.

Mike Fernandez

Mike Fernandez is the video producer for the National Audubon Society. He was born in Lima, Peru. As a photographer and filmmaker, his work explores the balance between humanity and the environment. Through his imagery, he celebrates individuality and style while fostering a deep connection to the natural world. Fashion becomes a means of advocating for sustainability, and nature serves as both muse and collaborator. His aim is to create visuals that inspire care, stewardship, and a profound respect for nature. His work has been featured in New York Magazine, The New York Times, Aperture Gallery, Univision, De Standaard (Belgium), Outside Magazine, FronteraD (Spain), and Audubon. He has produced video projects for David Yurman, the New York Theatre Workshop, HERE Arts Center, and others.

Morgan Heim

Morgan (Mo) Heim is a conservation photographer, filmmaker, and adventurer focusing on the ways human-influenced environmental changes impact wildlife. With a background in science and journalism, her goal is to find the beauty, humor, and perseverance in stories about wildlife, and how those stories teach us about who we are and who we might become. Morgan is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a mentor for Girls Who Click, and founder of Neon Raven Story Labs, a storytelling and strategy platform for conservation. In 2020 she co-launched Her Wild Vision Initiative aimed at raising the voices of diverse women in the craft of conservation visual storytelling. Named a 2024 National Geographic Explorer her work appears in outlets such as Audubon, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Newsweek, and The New York Times.

Mick Thompson

Mick Thompson is a bird photographer and videographer who splits the year between Seattle, Washington and Tucson, Arizona. Mick began taking bird photos in 1986 and has created a portfolio of over 3500 photos and videos which he donates to nonprofits, educational organizations, and government agencies. His work is used by the National Audubon Society and its chapters throughout the country, the American Bird Conservancy, BirdNote, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and many others.

Elizabeth Yicheng Shen

Elizabeth Yicheng Shen is a passionate amateur wildlife and nature photographer whose journey began just before the pandemic. Inspired by the breathtaking landscapes of Yosemite, she took up photography to capture the beauty of nature. With a deep love for animals—both birds and mammals—and a strong sense of empathy for the challenges they face in the wild, her photography aims to tell stories of life in its purest form. By transforming touching moments into eternal stories, she seeks to become a voice for the voiceless and raise awareness about the natural world. As the recipient of the inaugural Female Bird Prize in the Audubon Photography Awards, Elizabeth feels deeply honored to return as a judge for this category, a role that holds special significance.

Founders of the Galbatross Project

The founders of the Galbatross Project are a group of scientists, birders, writers, and conservationists who are connected through the National Audubon Society. They first came together as “The Galbatrosses” to count feathered females at the 2019 World Series of Birding. Because the pandemic made it impossible for the team to convene for another World Series, in May 2020 they established #FemaleBirdDay to share the love of female birds with the rest of their diverse community via social media. The Galbatrosses include Brooke Bateman (she/her), Audubon’s director of climate science; Stephanie Beilke (she/her), senior manager, conservation science for Audubon Great Lakes; Martha Harbison (they/them), communications director, community building for Audubon; and Joanna Wu (she/her), PhD student at UCLA. Through the Galbatross Project they hope to create an engaging way for everyone to get to know some of the most overlooked birds on the planet.