Audubon Photography Awards

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

US–Canada 2026: online adults US$15/image or video; youth and postal entry free.

Use one submission method throughout. Mixing online and postal entries leaves only the first received submission eligible. For a larger edit, compare the cost of prints and delivery with the online per-file charge before choosing. [1]

Birdlife and conservation give the award its focus

The National Audubon Society's 2026 award was its seventeenth edition. Separate panels assessed the US–Canada and Chile–Colombia contests anonymously. Within the US–Canada award, migration, female birds, native plants, landscapes and conservation each provide a distinct way for an image to be recognised. [5][3]

These categories reward observation beyond a clean identification portrait. Our editorial preference is to choose a category because the photograph genuinely demonstrates its premise. A bird on a plant is not automatically evidence of a meaningful ecological interaction; a conservation caption should explain a visible problem rather than supply a story the picture cannot support. [3]

Actual outside coverage and an established publication

PetaPixel published an illustrated 2026 winners feature on 2 September. It included Jacqueline Burke's grand-prize Roseate Spoonbill, Gail Bisson's Common Merganser and Josh Galicki's Northern Gannets conservation image. This is concrete independent visibility for selected work, beyond the organiser's own publicity claims. [6]

Audubon also announced online galleries and publication of winners in its Fall 2026 magazine. That is a defined editorial outlet, though neither the reviewed announcement nor independent feature establishes how many people saw an individual photograph. The benefit is strongest for photographers who value this bird-focused audience; it is not a promise of assignments, sales or individual feedback. [5][2]

Separate the cash from the expedition's valuation

The US–Canada grand prize comprised US$5,000 plus an HX expedition voyage. Video received $2,500; the five specialist photographic awards offered $1,500 each. The youth prize was a Hog Island Audubon camp experience rather than cash. [3]

The voyage covered the winner and a guest in the 2027/28 season, but excluded travel to the departure port and hotels before or after sailing. Tax provisions affect the final package. The advertised maximum total value is therefore not a cash cheque available to spend freely. Budget against the actual itinerary and conditions. [1]

Residency matters more than where a bird was photographed

This reviewed route was for legal residents of the 50 US states, DC and Canada except Quebec, aged at least 13 on submission. Youth means 13–17; adults are 18+. Staff, judges and specified relatives are excluded. [1]

The FAQ permits photographs made at any time. Previously published work can qualify, but prior publication by Audubon generally excludes an image. Routine processing is allowed; HDR stacking, stitched panoramas, flipped images, content removal and AI-generated imagery are not. Baiting, call playback, drones and other prohibited wildlife methods can also disqualify an otherwise attractive picture. [2]

The optional fundraising permission is a separate decision

Copyright stays with you, but entry grants Audubon an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free non-exclusive licence for contest-related use, including commercial publication, derivatives and sublicensing. It is wider than permission to judge a file once. [1][2]

The 2026 postal form separately offers an optional licence for Audubon's wider mission and fundraising. It includes derivatives and use by others. That checkbox is not necessary for entry; the FAQ says declining it does not affect anonymous judging. Read the two permissions separately, especially if a client or agency has rights in the photograph. [4][2]

A closed 2026 round; check the next rules afresh

The 2026 round ran from noon Eastern on 15 January to noon Eastern on 4 March. The rules require online JPEGs of at least 3,000 pixels on the long edge and at most 35 MB. Videos run 3–30 seconds; keep original files available for verification. [1]

Postal photographs were prints between 5×7 and 8×10 inches, accompanied by the entry form, caption and identification. The form says receipt by 11 March, while the rules give 12 March for prints: this historical one-day discrepancy should not be used to infer any future deadline. [4][1]

The actual results announcement says the next award opens on 13 January 2027. That is an announced opening date, not evidence that 2026 fees, prizes or licences will carry forward. Recheck the new call before preparing an entry. [5]