2026 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards now open

2026 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards now open

Last year’s award-winning image of a brush-turkey preening captured our imagination. Now photographers have a new challenging subject in this year’s competition: Australia’s dazzling native finches.

The 2026 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards are now open, and photographers of all ages and experiences are encouraged to take part.

The national competition raises funds to support BirdLife Australia’s critical bird conservation work, while celebrating Australia’s spectacular diversity of birds.

Entries close 13 July, with an Early Bird discount available until 25 April.

Photographers can enter the competition at the BirdLife Australia Photography Awards website.

Finches in focus

Each year, organisers decide on a new Special Theme to showcase a specific bird group or family. This year’s category challenges photographers to turn their lenses to a new subject: Australia’s native finch species.

From the spectacularly coloured Gouldian Finch to the widespread and well-loved Zebra Finch, Australia’s 18 resident native finches are among the country’s smallest and most striking birds. Renowned for their vibrant plumage, distinctive calls and lively, highly social behaviour, they have long captured the imagination of bird lovers all over the world.

But Australia’s finches are also under increasing threat.

Sadly, many finch populations are in decline due to the destruction and degradation of their feeding and breeding habitat – a crisis BirdLife Australia is working to address.

A celebration of Australia’s iconic native finches, the 2026 Special Theme category invites photographers to enter images of resident native finches. Eligible species include the Endangered Gouldian Finch, Black-throated Finch and Diamond Firetail, while photos of introduced and exotic species can be entered in other relevant categories.

Photographers can also enter photos of Australian birds in the following competition categories:

• Backyard Birds
• Bird Behaviour
• Bird Portrait
• Birds in Flight
• Birds in the Landscape
• Youth
• Human Impact
• Portfolio Prize

Your chance to win big

The 2026 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards are proudly sponsored by Nikon Australia and Lake Cowal Foundation.

Thanks to their generous support, each category winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize, while the winner of the prestigious Portfolio Prize will receive $2,000.

Judges will also decide an overall winner, awarding the competition’s highest honour – BirdLife Australia Photographer of the Year – for the most outstanding entry. The winner will receive the Grand Prize: a Nikon Z 8 digital camera valued at $7,449 RRP, courtesy of Principal Sponsor Nikon Australia.

But photographers aren’t the only winners in the competition, with funds raised through entry fees supporting BirdLife Australia’s bird conservation efforts.

View the 2025 winners gallery

Last year, photographer Angela Farnsworth took out the top prize for her photo of an Australian Brush-turkey. Her striking portrait of one of Australia’s most misunderstood birds wowed the judges with its intricate detail, dramatic contrast and unique composition. The photo, entitled Preening One’s Feathers, beat thousands of entries and saw Farnsworth awarded the Grand Prize for BirdLife Photographer of the Year.

About the Awards

The BirdLife Australia Photography Awards are a partnership between BirdLife Australia, Australia’s national bird conservation organisation, and BirdLife Photography, a Special Interest Group for photographers of Australian birds.

The BirdLife Australia Photography Awards promote ethical bird photography, and all entries must adhere to BirdLife Photography’s Code of Ethics.

To find out more and enter the 2026 competition, visit: www.birdlifephotoaward.org.au 

BirdLife Australia media enquiries: Please contact James Johnson on 0423 659 324 or at media@birdlife.org.au