Birds in Focus: The Inside Story
Last May we began accepting entries to the Audubon Magazine Photography Awards, which we ran in association with Nature’s Best Photography magazine. As with the previous year’s contest, we offered photographers the chance to win prizes in three categories: professional, amateur, and youth. There was also a grand prize winner.

Three of this year’s judges were from Audubon: Kevin Fisher, design director; Kim Hubbard, photography editor; and Todd Standley, designer. The fourth judge was Steve Freligh, publisher and editor-in-chief of Nature’s Best Photography. The photos were judged for technical quality, originality, and artistic merit. The judges looked at and scored every photo; they knew neither the name nor the professional affiliation of the entrants until after the winners were chosen.

The remarkable photos on these pages represent just a handful of the nearly 8,000 images submitted. To see more of the amazing entries, go to audubonmagazine.org. If you’d like periodic email reminders about the 2011 photo contest, which will start in the spring, go to the Audubon Magazine Photo Awards website: and enter your email address. To see the 2010 winners, click here.