BPOTY - Celebrating the best images from Norway
Ever since Bird Photographer of the Year ran its first competition in 2016, photographers from Norway have done particularly well, winning many awards over the last four years. Our 2019 competition was no exception and below we celebrate the best of these images and the photographers who captured them.
Pål Hermansen has struck gold before in the competition and did so again in 2019 winning the Gold award in our Attention to Detail category with this detailed study of the foot of a Goshawk. Pål received a pair of Swarovski Optik CL companion 8x30 binoculars worth nearly £1,000.
Gold for Pål Hermansen in our Attention to Detail category with this close-up of a Goshawk’s foot. ©Pål Hermansen
Brothers Espen and Audun Lie Dahl are also regular competition supporters. Indeed, Espen took the marvellous photograph of a Shag that adorns the cover of the very first BPOTY book published in 2016. It was Audun’s turn for the spotlight this year winning the Bronze award in the Creative Imagery category with this amazing image of Common Guillemots entitled ‘Shadows’. Audun won a clothing bundle from specialist Clothing supplier Country Innovation. Audun also received two further commendations from the judges for his drone photograph of Kittiwakes in the Birds in the Environment category and his King Penguins in the Bird Behaviour category.
Bronze in the Creative Imagery category was the prize for Audun Lie Dahl for this photograph of Common Guillemots. ©Audun Lie Dahl
These King Penguins earned a Commendation from the judges in the Bird Behaviour category for Audun Lie Dahl. ©Audun Lie Dahl
This photograph taken with a drone was also rewarded with a Commendation from the judges in the Birds in the Environment category. ©Audun Lie Dahl
Receiving three commendations from the judges is Jørn Bøhmer Olsen for brilliant underwater diving Osprey photograph in the Bird Behaviour category, the unusual portrayal of a Eurasian Magpie in the Creative Imagery category and an inquisitive Eurasian Magpie in the Garden and Urban Birds category.
The judges were ‘wowed’ by this image of a diving Osprey in the Bird Behaviour category taken by Jørn Bøhmer Olsen and awarded it a Commendation. ©Jørn Bøhmer Olsen
Jørn Bøhmer Olsen received Commendations for two images of Eurasian Magpies. The first is this unusual perspective entitled ‘Frost’ in the Creative Imagery category. ©Jørn Bøhmer Olsen
This inquisitive bird is the second of the Eurasian Magpie images from Jørn Bøhmer Olsen to be Commended by the judges, this time in the Garden and Urban Birds category. ©Jørn Bøhmer Olsen
Images such as these clearly demonstrate the amazing standard of photography the competition attracts, and we are sure 2020 will prove to be another year when the bar is raised again. The 2020 competition closes for entries on 30 November 2019, so there is not long left to enter. Click the link to register your entry. Top prize £5,000.