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To the right of the frame, three White Terns fly in perfect symmetry against a white background.
Photographed by Claire Greenwell
General

2025 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards finalists

Monday, 17 November 2025

  • Estimated reading time 2 minutes

Australia’s birds like you’ve never seen them before

Drumroll please…

BirdLife Australia and BirdLife Photography are thrilled to announce the finalists of the 2025 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards!

This year’s competition saw over seven thousand entries (the highest number of entries ever!)  from some of Australia’s best bird photographers – and after much deliberation, our judges have decided the shortlist for each of the nine competition categories. This includes this year’s Special Theme category, Diurnal Raptors – a celebration of Australia’s extraordinary birds of prey that are active during the day.

Congratulations to this year’s finalists, and stay tuned for the winner announcement next week.

View the finalists’ gallery

 

A blue and yellow male Sahul Sunbird is perched on a fern frond against a blurred green background.
Supervising by Ian Waldren, shortlisted in the Backyard Birds category

 

Two black and red Palm Cockatoos groom eachother on an exposed branch against a white background.
Palm Cockatoos grooming by Brian Jones, shortlisted in the Bird Behaviour category

 

To the right of the frame, a Wedge-tailed Eagle is perched on a curved branch with wings outstretched against a blurred pastel background.
My home by Dave Wetherall, shortlisted in the Bird Portrait category

 

Two brightly-coloured Red-capped Parrots engaged in an aerial dispute against a white background.
Battle’s end by Kim Norris, shortlisted in the Birds in Flight category

 

In the centre of the frame, a Red-capped Plover is foraging at a pink salt lake, its reflection mirrored in the water.
Pretty in pink by Claire Watson, shortlisted in the Birds in the Landscape category

 

A flock of Black Kites silhouetted in flight against burning grass and smoke.
From the ashes by Claire Watson, shortlisted in the Human Impact category

 

In the centre of the frame, a Whistling Kite in flight is silhouetted against an orange background while holding its turtle prey in its talons.
Kite with turtle by Georgina Steytler, shortlisted in the Special Theme: Diurnal Raptors category

 

To the left of the frame, a drinking female Glossy Black-Cockatoo is reflected in the water's surface.
I love Glossies by Spencer Hitchen, shortlisted in the Youth category

 

In the centre of the frame, three White Terns fly in perfect symmetry against a white background.
Australian seabirds by Claire Greenwell, shortlisted for the Portfolio Prize

Special thanks

A huge thank you to those who made the 2025 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards competition possible, especially the all-star judging panel, competition coordinator Graham Cam and event sponsors Nikon Australia and Lake Cowal Foundation.

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, each category winner will receive $1,000 in prize money. The winner of the Portfolio Prize will receive a $2,000 cash prize, while the lucky recipient of our inaugural Award for BirdLife Australia Photographer of the Year will receive the Grand Prize, a Nikon Z 8 camera valued at $7,449 RRP – both courtesy of Principal Sponsor, Nikon Australia. Congratulations (and good luck) to the finalists!

 

About

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

One of BirdLife Australia’s special interest groups, BirdLife Photography welcomes all bird lovers with a passion for photography. With an extensive public online photo gallery of Australian birds, BirdLife Photography promotes ethical bird photography and aims to inspire and support photographers of Australian birds.

Related information

Award
BirdLife Australia Photography Awards

Entries for the 2025 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards are now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted their work!

Group
BirdLife Photography
This special interest group is for BirdLife Australia members who are interested in photographing and observing Australia’s spectacular array of native birds.