Bird Photographer of the Year 2019 Winners
‘Dancing on Ice’ 2019 Bird Photographer of the Year winner Caron Steele. Dalmatian Pelican, Lake Kerkini, Greece.
Click on the links below to view all this year’s winning images for the Bird Photographer of the Year Competition. Congratulations to our overall Bird Photographer of the Year 2019 winner Caron Steele from the United Kingdom for this fabulous photograph of a Dalmatian Pelican skipping across a frozen Lake Kerkini in Greece. As well as winning the £5,000 top prize, Caron also collects a pair of Swarovski binoculars for winning the Best Portrait category and £50 from Nature Photographers Ltd for winning the People’s Choice award with this photograph.
Latest BPOTY book available now!
Inspired by all the amazing winning images? Why not buy the latest Bird Photographer of the Year collection from our highly acclaimed competition series, a book we are sure you will cherish. Featuring all the winning and commended images from the competition, the book is bursting with inspirational photography from all around the world. Species featured range from the humble European Robin to the prehistoric looking, enigmatic Shoebill. Visit our shop here.
Category Gold Award Winners
The following images are the Gold Award Winners in each of the seven main competition categories. Our thanks go to Swarovski Optik and Alamy for sponsoring the prizes for our Gold Award winners.
Category Silver Award Winners
The following images are the Silver Award Winners in each of the seven main competition categories. Our thanks go to Gitzo for sponsoring the prizes for our Silver Award winners.
Category Bronze Award Winners
The following images are the Bronze Award Winners in each of the seven main competition categories. Our thanks go to Country Innovation for sponsoring the prizes for our Bronze Award winners.
Best Portfolio Award Winner
Congratulations go to Thomas Hinsche from Germany who wins our 2019 Best Portfolio Award with this amazing set of images demonstrating consistency of skill and talent. Many thanks go to Olympus who kindly sponsored this award.
Inspirational Encounters Award Winner
Congratulations go to Martin Grace from the United Kingdom for winning the inaugural Inspirational Encounters Award. New for 2019, this award is sponsored by Wildlife Worldwide and celebrates all that is positive about wildlife and our relationship with it. Entrants were asked to submit a photograph accompanied by approximately 150 words of text to describe how the encounter depicted in the image was inspirational to the photographer. Please read the text that accompanies this image.
Emperors
Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri. Snowhill Island, Weddell Sea, Antarctica.
Martin Grace, United Kingdom. Category: Inspirational Encounters Award. GOLD AWARD WINNER.
‘Emperor. Penguin. Individually words of little distinction, but together an icon of near-mythical proportion. Flightless. The only bird that completely forgoes land. The march. The crazily dedicated parenting. Arguably the most difficult bird in the world to see. But forget for now the travel nightmare, the two days turbulent torture of the ‘never-again’ Drake Passage, the teetering on the edge of ‘will-we, won’t-we?’ Decades of aspiration are finally approaching a culmination. An unexpected route appears through storm-packed sea ice and Antarctica’s fickle summer opens a calm window of blue. This miraculous conspiracy permits no more than half an hour at the colony, including walking time from landing. Borrowed boots pinch, clothing is stiflingly excessive, and frustration also boils as the camera tangles inside the rucksack. But actually having made it is too overwhelming, too emotional. I shoot a few images then put the camera away, and for fifteen minutes it is just me, the Emperors and heaven.’
Young Bird Photographer of the Year
Congratulations go to Tamás Koncz-Bisztricz from Hungary who wins the Young Bird Photographer of the Year title for 2019. Our thanks go to the Cameron Bespolka Trust and Swarovski Optik for sponsoring this award.
Category Honourable Mentions
Two images from each category are awarded Honourable Mentions by the judges. Here are the Honourable Mentions for 2019.
Commended Images
The judges have commended the following images which are organised below by category.
