Audubon Announces 2022 Audubon Photography Awards Winners

NEW YORK (July 7, 2022) – The National Audubon Society announced today the winners of its thirteenth annual Audubon Photography Awards. This year, judges awarded eight prizes across five divisions from a pool of 2,416 entrants from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 7 Canadian provinces and territories. 

The competition continued to award the Female Bird Prize and Video Prize, which were successfully introduced last year. The Female Bird Prize highlights female birds, which are often overlooked and underappreciated in bird photography and conservation. The Video Prize recognizes the dynamic movement and behavior of birds and the ways we view and memorialize them.

This year’s honorees show the beauty of birds and the joy of capturing them in their environments through photos and videos. Yet, Audubon’s climate science report Survival by Degrees reveals that two-thirds of North American birds are threatened by extinction from climate change, including species featured in the Audubon Photography Awards. Learn more about how climate change will impact birds in your communities by entering your zip code into Audubon’s Birds and Climate Visualizer.

Award winners and honorable mentions will be featured in the Summer 2022 issue of Audubon magazine. They will also travel the country as part of an Audubon Photography Awards exhibit, where they will be on display at 28 venues in 19 states – including many Audubon nature centers – between October 2022 and June 2023. 

Grand Prize Winner

White-tailed Kites. Photo: Jack Zhi/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Grand Prize Winner

Professional Award Winner

White-tailed Ptarmigan. Photo: Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Professional Winner

Amateur Award Winner

Western Grebes. Photo: Peter Shen/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Amateur Winner

Youth Award Winner

Black­-bellied Whistling-­Duck. Photo: Jayden Preussner/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Youth Winner

Plants for Birds Award Winner

Nashville Warbler and scarlet bee balm. Photo: Shirley Donald/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Plants For Birds Winner

Video Award Winner

Sharp-tailed Grouse. Video: Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Video Winner

Female Bird Prize Winners

Greater Sage-Grouse. Photo: Alan Krakauer/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Female Bird Prize Winner

Fisher Prize Winner

Northern Shovelers. Photo: Steve Jessmore/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Fisher Prize Winner

Professional Honorable Mention

Sharp-tailed Grouse. Photo: Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Professional Honorable Mention

Amateur Honorable Mention

Common Ravens. Photo: Ankur Khurana/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Amateur Honorable Mention

Youth Honorable Mention

Greater Prairie-Chicken. Photo: Amiel Hopkins/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Youth Honorable Mention

Plants for Birds Honorable Mention

Hawai‘i ‘Amakihi and ‘iliahi. Photo: Warren Johnson/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Plants For Birds Honorable Mention

Video Honorable Mention

Great Blue Heron. Video: Xiao Hu/Audubon Photography Awards/2022 Video Honorable Mention

2022 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 Audubon's Hog Island Audubon Camp during the 2023 season.

The 2022 panel of judges are:

• Melissa Hafting, conservation photographer and youth nature educator 
• Tara Tanaka, bird photographer, videographer, and Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year (2011 and 2012) 
• Allen Murabayashi, co-founder, PhotoShelter 
• John Rowden, former senior director of bird-friendly communities, National Audubon Society 
• Sabine Meyer, photography director, National Audubon Society 
• Mike Fernandez, video producer, National Audubon Society 
• Sean Graesser, biologist and conservation photographer and videographer 
• Founders of the Galbatross Project: 
  • Brooke Bateman, director of climate science, National Audubon Society 
  • Stephanie Beilke, conservation manager, conservation science 
  • Martha Harbison, senior network content editor, National Audubon Society 
  • Purbita Saha, member, Bergen County Audubon Society, and former Audubon magazine editor  
  • Joanna Wu, PhD student at the University of California, Los Angeles

All photos and videos are judged on the following criteria:

• Technical quality 
• Originality 
• Artistic merit 
• All photographers must follow Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and Videography 

For more information, please visit the official contest rules. 

To learn more about Audubon’s Plants for Birds program and Native Plants Database, please visit https://www.audubon.org/native-plants. 

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The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using, science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon 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, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more about how to help at www.audubon.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @audubonsociety. 

Media Contact: Diana Lee, diana.lee@audubon.org