BirdLife Australia Photography Awards

The BirdLife Australia Photography Awards are a collaboration between BirdLife Australia and BirdLife Photography.

Started in 2018, the BirdLife Australia Photography Awards see thousands of entries every year from photographers of all ages and experiences – including some of Australia’s finest.

The BirdLife Australia Photography Awards are back in 2026 – and entries open 7 April.

This year, we’re back with another special theme: Australian Finches.

Australia is home to 18 resident native finches, including grass-finches, parrot-finches and mannikins. They’re some of our smallest and most striking birds, renowned for their vibrant plumage, distinctive calls and lively, highly social behaviour.

From the spectacularly-coloured Gouldian Finch foraging in tall grass, to a frenetic flock of Zebra Finches drinking from an outback waterhole, Australia’s finches have long captured the imagination of bird lovers all over the world.

Found across the country in a variety of habitats, including in urban and rural areas, these small seed-eating birds depend on native grasses to survive. Sadly, many Australian finches are in decline, increasingly threatened by the destruction, development and degradation of their feeding and breeding habitats.

This category is a celebration of Australia’s iconic native finches.

Sponsors and prizes

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 – with a whopping $2,000 up for grabs for the winner of this year’s Portfolio Prize, courtesy of our Principal Sponsor, Nikon Australia.

This year, we’re also excited to announce BirdLife Australia Photographer of the Year. By entering any competition category, you’ll go in the running to win the Grand Prize – a Nikon Z 8 camera valued at $7,449 RRP.

Ethical bird photography

Remember – the welfare of birds always comes first, and no winning shot should see birds losing out. All entries must adhere to BirdLife Photography’s Code of Ethics.

You can find a full list of eligible species here.