Audubon magazine, the flagship publication of the National Audubon Society, is inviting nature photographers and bird watchers to submit their best photos for the second annual Audubon Magazine Photography Awards: Birds in Focus competition, held in partnership with Nature's Best Photography magazine. Last year's winning shot of a pair of dueling American bald eagles graced the cover of the venerable magazine and led a parade of dazzling images online.
This year the deadline is two months later, September 7, allowing photographers to devote the entire summer to capturing the best bird images. Check out the competition in this interactive feature featuring the top 100 photos from last year. www.audubonmagazine.org/issuearchives/issue1001.html
"Amazing" is the only word for the grand-prize-winning image of American bald Eagles sparring in flight. The breathtaking moment was digitally frozen in time by Colorado professional photographer Rob Palmer.
Palmer's prize for besting more than 16,000 other images was a trip to an eco-lodge in Peru's Amazon. This year's prizes include tours of the Galapagos, Belize, and Peru as well as a Canon EOS 7D SLR camera, iTouches with new Audubon Guide apps preloaded, and a $1,000 B&H Photo gift card.
"Beautiful photography has the power to connect people with nature," says Audubon Editor David Seideman. "The quality of last year's submissions speaks to the photographers' profound passion for birds, whose beauty and majesty is unmatched by any other creatures on earth."
"Science can give us the 'what' and 'how' of bird conservation," wrote Kenn Kaufman, Audubon field editor," but such artistry gives us a resounding series of answers to the question 'why.' Audubon magazine showcases bird photography at its very best, inspiring us to go out and see the birds for ourselves, and to protect them."
The 2010 Birds in Focus competition is open to legal residents of all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec). There are three categories: Professional, Amateur, and Youth.
More at audubonmagazinephotoawards.org
To ask questions about the competition photoawards@audubon.org
Screensavers of last year's winners www.audubonscreensaver.org/2010_ssaver_download.php
Follow the magazine online www.audubonmagazine.org