Jacqueline Burke’s Roseate Spoonbill won the Grand Prize in this year’s Audubon Photography Awards, part of a full slate of category winners from across the Americas.
The National Audubon Society has announced the winners of the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards, with Jacqueline Burke of the US winning the US and Canada Grand Prize for a photo of a Roseate Spoonbill and Francisco Castro Escobar of Chile winning the Chile and Colombia Grand Prize for a photo of a Lesser Horned Owl.
The specific geographic designations reflect the Audubon Society’s hemispheric conservation model. Birds aren’t bound by international borders, and hundreds of species migrate thousands of kilometers each year along flyways that stretch between North, Central and South America. Colombia hosts nearly 20 percent of the world’s avian species, and Chile’s 6,435km (3,999mi) of coastline and wetlands are vital stopovers and wintering grounds for many shorebirds coming from as far away as the Arctic.
The National Audubon Society, founded in 1905, sponsors the contest each year to celebrate bird and bird habitat photography and to further its conservation mission. This is the second year the competition has included prizes to Chile and Colombia residents. Winners and honorable mentions will be published online in Audubon magazine, and winners will be featured in the Fall 2026 print issue. The top 100 photos will be announced on September 23. If you’re interested in entering next year’s competition, which opens for entries on January 13, 2027, you can find the full contest rules and category details on the Audubon website.
If you really enjoy bird photography, you can also check out our coverage of Audubon’s previous award winners from 2025, 2023 and 2022.
U.S. and Canada winners
Jacqueline BurkePhotographer: Jacqueline Burke (USA)
Award: Grand Prize
Species: Roseate Spoonbill
Photo location: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, St. Augustine, Florida, USA
Liron GertsmanPhotographer: Liron Gertsman (Canada)
Award: Birds in Landscapes – Winner
Species: White-tailed Tropicbird
Photo location: Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Volcano, Hawai’i, USA
Nick ParaykoPhotographer: Nick Parayko (Canada)
Award: Birds Without Borders – Winner
Species: Tennessee Warbler
Photo location: St. Albert, Alberta, Canada (in his backyard)
Josh GalickiPhotographer: Josh Galicki (USA)
Award: Conservation – winner
Species: Northern Gannets
Photo location: Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom
Mike HenryPhotographer: Mike Henry (USA)
Award: Plants for Birds – winner
Species: Gila Woodpecker and saguaro cactus
Photo location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Ian ShultzPhotographer: Ian Shultz (USA)
Award: Youth – Winner
Species: Rock Pigeon
Photo location: Golden Gardens Park, Seattle, Washington, USA
Gail BissonPhotographer: Gail Bisson (Canada)
Award: Female Bird – Winner
Species: Common Merganser
Photo location: East Bay Sandbar, Nova Scotia, Canada
Photographer: Piper VanOrd (USA)
Award: Video – Winner
Species: Great Blue Heron
Photo location: Allegheny Islands Wilderness, National Wild & Scenic Allegheny River, Warren, Pennsylvania
Chile and Colombia winners
Francisco Castro EscobarPhotographer: Francisco Castro Escobar (Chile)
Award: Grand
Species: Lesser Horned Owl
Photo location: Antofagasta, Chile
Rodrigo González PairoaPhotographer: Rodrigo González Pairoa (Chile)
Award: Birds Without Borders – Winner
Species: Black-browed Albatross
Photo location: Almirantazgo Fjord, Chile
Photographer: Nicolás Muñoz García (Chile)
Award: Video – Winner
Species: Black-browed Albatross
Photo location: Isla Chañaral Marine Reserve, Huasco Province, Chile. The nearest town is Caleta Chañaral de Aceituno
Santiago GiraldoPhotographer: Santiago Giraldo (Colombia)
Award: Plants for Birds Colombia – Winner
Species: Yellow-eared Parrot and Quindio wax palm
Photo location: Anaime, Cajamarca, Tolima
Juan David Camacho MárquezPhotographer: Juan David Camacho Márquez (Colombia)
Award: Youth – Winner
Species: Canada Warbler
Photo location: Doña Dora Birding, El Queremal, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Santiago Pérez RincónPhotographer: Santiago Pérez Rincón (Colombia)
Award: Conservation – Winner
Species: Yellow-eared Parrot
Photo location: Anaime River Canyon, Rural District of the Municipality of Cajamarca, Department of Tolima, Colombia.
Faber Mosquera AlvarezPhotographer: Faber Mosquera Alvarez (Colombia)
Award: Birds in Landscapes, Colombia – Winner
Species: Oilbird
Photo location: Pijao, Quindío, Colombia. In the Cañón de los Guácharos
Gonzalo Bertolotto QuintanaPhotographer: Gonzalo Bertolotto Quintana (Chile)
Award: Coastal Birds of Chile – Winner
Species: Gentoo Penguin
Photo location: Fildes Bay, Antarctica, in the vicinity of the Chilean bases
Timothy DhalleinePhotographer: Timothy Dhalleine (Chile)
Award: Birds in Landscapes, Chile – Winner
Species: Crested Caracara
Photo location: Torres del Paine National Park, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic region, Chile
Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add DPReview as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.
