Rare encounters and long-haul dedication anchor the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards, where two grand prizes span different regions and a slate of category winners showcases avian life in vivid detail. This year, Francisco Castro Escobar earned the top honor for Chile/Colombia with a surprise meeting at dawn: a lesser horned owl perched on a cactus in northern Chile, a bird sometimes called “the ghost of the desert.” As he puts it, “The largest owl in Chile gets this nickname because seeing one is so rare that it’s like an apparition,” Escobar says. In North America, Jacqueline Burke claimed the grand prize with a striking image of a bathing roseate spoonbill glowing against the dark interior of a Florida cove.
Two grand prizes, many vantage points
Audubon Photography Awards runs two parallel opportunities, one for photographers in the U.S. and Canada and the other for those based in Chile and Colombia. Escobar’s grand-prize photograph was made in Antofagasta, Chile, while Burke’s winning frame comes from St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Florida. Together, the top awards exemplify how major expeditions, repeated attempts, and fortunate timing can converge in a single frame.
Categories that broaden the view
Beyond the grand prizes, additional categories—among them Birds Without Borders, Plants for Birds, Youth, and Conservation—spotlight behavior, habitat, and the intersection of birds with human activity.
- Rodrigo González Pairoa, Winner, Birds Without Borders: Black-browed albatross, Almirantazgo Fjord, Chile
- Josh Galicki, Winner, Conservation category: Northern gannets, Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands, U.K.
- Mike Henry, Winner, Plants for Birds, U.S. and Canada: Gila woodpecker and saguaro cactus, Tucson, Arizona
- Juan David Camacho Márquez, Winner, Youth, Chile and Colombia: Canada warbler, Doña Dora Birding, El Queremal, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
- Timothy Dhalleine, Winner, Birds in Landscapes, Chile: Crested caracara, Torres del Paine National Park, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic region, Chile
- Santiago Giraldo, Winner, Plants for Birds, Colombia: Yellow-eared parrot and Quindio wax palm, Anaime, Cajamarca, Tolima
- Camilo Sanabria Grajale, Honorable mention, Youth, Chile and Colombia: Ruby-topaz hummingbird, Guadalajara de Buga, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
- David Paredes Bravo, Honorable mention, Plants for Birds, Colombia: Golden-rumped euphonia and Tillandsia recurvata, Alto del Zarzo, Manizales, Department of Caldas, Colombia
- Kevin Lohman, Honorable mention, Plants for Birds, U.S. and Canada: Brandt’s cormorant and surfgrass, Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz, California
The collection captures daily behavior—ranging from hunting raptors to nectar-seeking woodpeckers—and also hints at hazards. Galicki’s image of northern gannets in Shetland, for instance, shows how old fishing nets, scavenged for nest material on a cliff, can imperil the birds. “Hours, days, or sometimes even years of patience and effort go into creating a scenario in which a photographer is in the right place, at the right time, to capture a fleeting moment,” Audubon says. See all the winners and honorable mentions, including videos, on the contest’s website.
