Birds like the Blackburnian Warbler and Red Knot illustrate how birds connect people across the Western Hemisphere. Blackburnian Warblers migrate from Canada’s Boreal Forest to Colombia’s tropical Andes, while Red Knots breed in the High Arctic and winter as far south as Chile. These species depend on some of the world’s most vibrant and biodiverse ecosystems—and protecting them requires cooperation across international borders. The expansion of the Audubon Photography Awards reflects this hemispheric scope by welcoming submissions for the first time from photographers and videographers from Colombia and Chile, alongside participants from the United States and Canada.
This expansion presents an exciting new opportunity for photographers and videographers in Colombia and Chile to showcase their talent on a global stage. With new prizes in place for residents of these countries, the 2025 contest will encourage more diverse perspectives, enriching the visual narrative of bird conservation. A panel of expert judges, including prominent figures in both conservation and photography in South America, will help ensure a broad and inclusive representation of these unique regions and the birds that can be found there. In September, winners will be featured in the Fall 2025 issue of Audubon magazine, which has hundreds of thousands of print subscribers and online readers.
The Audubon Photography Awards will continue to showcase breathtaking images and videos while also spotlighting the crucial role of migratory birds and the habitats that sustain them. Colombia is home to nearly 20 percent of the world’s avian species, and Chile hosts hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds, placing these countries at the heart of Audubon’s conservation work. By sharing new bird species and landscapes with Audubon Photography Awards followers across the world, this year’s contest will bring the beauty and conservation challenges of birds closer to environmentalists and nature lovers everywhere.
To help tell this story, the contest has introduced the Birds Without Borders Prize and the Conservation Prize, which aim to highlight the journeys of migratory species, the threats they face, and the need for coordinated conservation efforts that protect them year-round. Chile will also have a unique Coastal Birds Prize to note the importance of its 6,435 km (4,000 mile) coastline for migratory shorebirds from the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Coastal wetlands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, and birds serve as key indicators of how these ecosystems are vital to coastal cities, communities, and biodiversity. Birds in Landscapes and Plants for Birds Prizes in Colombia will help illustrate how birds live and interact with their surroundings in that country.
Sharing Chile’s and Colombia’s bird species means sharing culture, knowledge, and new perspectives. This captures the spirit of Audubon’s work across the hemisphere to make visible the beauty, the challenges, the communities, and individuals of all ages and backgrounds that celebrate birds and the places they need. With this contest expansion, more people across the Americas will understand the challenges birds face and feel inspired to support Audubon’s effort to “bend the bird curve” — halting and ultimately reversing bird population declines.
Audubon’s work is grounded in the belief that effective bird conservation requires collaboration across countries and regions. Through its initiatives across the Americas, Audubon is tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. In Colombia and Chile, Audubon is involved in projects that improve habitat protection, combat the impacts of climate change, and support sustainable practices that benefit both birds and communities.
Birds don’t know about borders. They connect people and cultures throughout the Americas, and they are powerful messengers for the most critical sites for biodiversity conservation. We hope that the stunning photographs submitted will inspire greater awareness of the need for international cooperation in protecting migratory species. We look forward to seeing images from Colombia and Chile—countries rich in biodiversity and home to some of the world’s most remarkable birds—and we invite more artists to join in sharing the joy of birds and the joy of migration through amazing photos and videos.
Visit the Chile and Colombia and U.S. and Canada contest pages for more information.
