Bald Eagle and Great Blue Herons. Photo: Bonnie Block/Audubon Photography Awards

Readers of this site have come to expect an avian presence – daily in the form of our Bird of the Day posts, as well as frequently in our applause of many citizen science programs.

We send out a hearty applause to the 2016 Audubon Photography Award winners – especially the youth and amateur contributors. We’ve posted a few of the fabulous shots here, but be sure to follow this link for the entire set and the details and story behind each shot.

Osprey. Photo: Dick Dickinson/Audubon Photography Awards

Quick Stats:

Participants: More than 1,700

Images entered: Nearly 7,000

Categories: Amateur, Professional, Fine Art, Youth

Entrants from: 50 states, 6 provinces, District of Columbia

Judges

Kenn Kaufman:Bird-guide author, Audubon field editor

Melissa Groo:Professional photographer and 2015 Grand Prize winner

Steve Freligh: Co-publisher of Nature’s Best Photography

Kevin Fisher: Audubon creative director

Sabine Meyer: Audubon photography director

Judging criteria: Technical quality, originality, artistic merit

Great Frigatebirds. Photo: Carolina Anne Fraser/Audubon Photography Awards

Green Violetear. Photo: Barbara Driscoll/Audubon Photography Awards

Common Ravens. Photo: Colleen Gara/Audubon Photography Awards