Bird Photographer of the Year
2026 Winners
With over 24,000 images entered into the competition this year, Bird Photographer of the Year is pleased to present our winners. Celebrating bird life from around the world, these images comprise some of the most incredible bird photos in the world taken by talented photographers, whilst also raising vital funds for our partner charity Birds on the Brink.
‘Sunball Rocket’ by Henley Spiers. Overall Winner and Bird Photographer of the Year 2026.
Taking the title of Bird Photographer of the Year, our Overall Winner is ‘Sunball Rocket’ by Henley Spiers. The image shows a northern gannet bursting through the ocean’s surface.
Spiers wins the top prize of £3,000 and the prestigious title. His image also won the Gold Award in the Birds in the Environment category.
“A northern gannet seems to burst through the sun as it pierces down through the water. The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured, and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey. Their long wingspan and streamlined bodies make flying look effortless, gliding along with just the occasional pulse of their wings.
When fish are spotted, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, precisely adjusting their position in relation to their quarry. Moments later, with wings tucked in tightly, the gannet shape-shifts into a pointed torpedo, diving into the water at speeds of up to 86km/h. Even Olympic divers will not exceed 60km/h, and these seabirds are specially adapted for the impact: muscles along the neck lock their vertebrae into place and air sacs in the face and chest act as airbags. Even their nostrils are evolved for this aquatic existence, located internally to prevent water ingress during fishing dives.”
Young Bird Photographer of the Year
‘Moonlit Night’ by Parham Pourahmad. Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2026.
The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 was awarded to 16-year-old Parham Pourahmad from the United States, for his enchanting image of a great horned owl framed against a full moon.
Collection 11: Now Available to Order
Each year, we produce a high quality “coffee-table” book featuring the best images from the competition. This year is no different, with over 250 images featured in this hardback collection.
The book features all the awarded and commended images, and is a great place to draw inspiration from for your next shoot.
Best Portfolio - Winner: Fabulous Frigatebirds
Our congratulations go to Liron Gertsman from Canada, who wins the Best Portfolio award this year.
“Frigatebirds are extraordinary seabirds with wingspans exceeding seven feet, narrow wings, forked tails, and a striking, prehistoric silhouette. Despite feeding on seafood, they lack waterproof feathers and cannot land on water, instead chasing other seabirds to steal or force them to regurgitate food. Males are famous for inflating a bright red gular pouch during courtship displays. Their unique biology and behaviour have made frigatebirds my favourite birds, though they are often underappreciated or maligned for their piratical lifestyle. I’ve devoted significant time to photographing them, aiming to highlight their remarkable appearance and beautiful home environment in a unique light.”
Video Award - Winner
Our congratulations go to Liron Gertsman, who wins Gold in the Video Award. This award looks for a strong sequence of clips that create a powerful story.
“Bald Eagles are incredibly opportunistic predators and scavengers, gathering wherever there is an abundant food source. One such eagle feasting event involves hake, a fish in the cod family. Near Vancouver Island, Canada, hake are rapidly forced to the surface by naturally occurring tidal currents passing through narrow ocean channels. This sudden movement from the depths to the top of the water column causes their buoyancy-regulating swim bladder to overinflate, leaving the fish stuck at the surface where they are vulnerable to predators. Bald Eagles (and a multitude of other wildlife) gather by the hundreds to take advantage of the easy prey. As the tidal current picks up each day, more and more eagles gather, until the feeding frenzy begins. After photographing the annual event for several years, I dedicated some time to filming, and put together this short video to highlight this remarkable phenomenon.”
Highly Commended
OPEN FOR ENTRIES
Best Portrait
An image that best captures the character of the subject bird and its distinctive features. We look for images that include lots of detail, captured in a classic pose or showing the animal’s features.
Gold - Thomas Deliberto, United States
Silver - Volker Widmann, Germany
Bronze - David Stowe, Australia
Highly Commended
Birds in the Environment
This category focuses on photos that best demonstrate the relationship between a bird and its habitat.
Gold - Henley Spiers, United Kingdom
Silver - Åsmund Keilen, Norway
Bronze - Romain Barats, France
Highly Commended
Bird Behaviour
This category celebrates images that best depict a behaviour of a bird. This might be the lekking display of a black grouse, the courtship of a great crested grebe, or a singing robin.
Gold - Donald Chin, Australia
Silver - Mark Carwardine, United Kingdom
Bronze - Bernhard Schubert, Austria
Highly Commended
Birds in Flight
Celebrating avian mastery of the sky, this category focuses on birds in flight.
Gold - Ivan Sjögren, Sweden
Silver - Alex Pansier, Netherlands
Bronze - Patryk Kurc, Poland
Highly Commended
Black and White
Black and white can introduce simplicity and drama into images. This category celebrates the effective use of the monochromatic style.
Gold - Rahul Sachdev, India
Silver - Raoul Slater, Australia
Bronze - Julian Terreros-Martin, Spain
Highly Commended
Urban Birds
In an increasingly urban world, many birds are forced to live on the doorsteps of humans. This category explores the world of urban bird photography.
Gold - Gianluca Damiani, Italy
Silver - Romain Barats, France
Bronze - Julian Fernandez Quilez, Spain
Highly Commended
Creative Perspectives
In this category, we are looking for images with an artistic focus. Some examples include minimalism, creative compositions, in-camera multiple exposures, textures and details, or high and low key images.
Gold - Åsmund Keilen, Norway
Silver - Henley Spiers, United Kingdom
Bronze - Julian Łoziński, Poland
Highly Commended
Conservation (Single Image)
This category looks for strong conservation stories shown in one image.
Gold - Kent Stuart, United States
Silver - Yann Bigant, France
Bronze - Luca Eberle, Italy
Highly Commended
Conservation Award
This category looks at images that tell a story of conservation efforts or the struggle of a particular species.
Our congratulations go to Conrad Dickinson from the UK, who wins the Conservation Award this year for his series of images depicting the persecution of hen harriers in England.
Hen Harrier Persecution
“Hen Harriers are an iconic bird of prey found in the uplands; they are also the most persecuted bird of prey in England for their population size. A population of over 300 pairs should exist on the upland moorland, but sadly there is less than 10% of this number.
The problem is a conflict of interests with the Red Grouse management for sport shooting. As a result, the data shows an alarming “disappearance” of Hen Harriers on and adjacent to Red Grouse shooting Estates. In May 2025, four more suddenly vanished in Northern England. Dead bodies have been found that have been shot, poisoned and trapped. Even chicks in the nest have been stamped to death.
A dedicated team of RSPB staff and volunteers now protects any nest sites 24 hours a day, using the latest technology. Young hen harriers are measured, weighed and have both leg tags and satellite tags fitted to help protect them. These iconic “Sky Dancing” birds must not be allowed to disappear from our skies. This persecution MUST stop. All images taken under licence.”
15-17 years
This category celebrates the photography of those aged between 15 and 17 years old.
Gold - Parham Pourahmad, United States
Silver - Szymon Bartołd, Poland
Bronze - Eugène Soussan, France
12-14 years
Celebrating the photography of those aged between 12 and 14 years old.
Gold - Paula Czaeczine, Germany
Silver - Rithved Girishkumar, India
Bronze - Marina Gavrikova, Russian Federation
11 and under
Celebrating the photography of those aged 11 years old or younger.
Gold - Alberto Román Gómez, Spain
Silver - Jamie Smart, United Kingdom
Bronze - Jackson Duff, United States
Collection 11: Now Available to Order
Each year, we produce a high quality “coffee-table” book featuring the best images from the competition. This year is no different, with over 250 images featured in this hardback collection.
The book features all the awarded and commended images, and is a great place to draw inspiration from for your next shoot.
Commended Photographers
In the Collection 11 Book, more than 250 images are featured from the competition. If not awarded above, these included photographers are Commended in the competition.
A list of all photographers that can be seen featured in the Collection 11 Book is included below (click the list to view it larger):
