2026 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards winners and shortlist

BirdLife Australia Photographer of the Year | Sponsored by Nikon Australia

Kings Down Under by Lachlan Hall

To view the photos in full size, just click on an image. You can scroll through using the arrows or your keyboard’s left and right keys, or if you’re on mobile, simply swipe left or right. To get back to the shortlist page and view another category, click the X in the top right corner. Photo descriptions are only visible on desktop.

Category Winners

Portfolio Winner

Coastal Warriors by Samara Achermann

The Fairy Tern is a seasonal visitor to a beach close to my home. I spent many hours over the last two summers observing this species from a distance, always laying low and making sure I am outside the nesting zone fences that are put up to protect them. The more time I spend with them, the more they continue to fascinate me. I wanted to document as many behaviours as I could, at different stages of the seasons starting from the beginning of the breeding, through nesting season and right up to their migration. I enjoy capturing little snippets of the lives of these birds, as most people don't get a chance to see it for themselves or don't pay attention to the details. I watched people reading the signs that were put up around the nesting zones but also saw some completely miss the signs or disregard them and ultimately disturb the birds outside the fencing by walking too closely or straight through the active nests. It's why I take pride in taking images like these, as they become a way for me to start conversations with people, in an effort to spread awareness of our vulnerable and endangered wildlife.

Category Runners-up

Portfolio Runner-up

Life of a King by Sabrina Velasco

These images explore the intricacies of life for King Penguins on Macquarie Island. Taken across multiple years while visiting the island as an expedition guide, I aimed to capture the diversity of behaviours, individual personalities and perspectives that exist within the colony. Together, the images offer a glimpse into the complexity of life here, where growth, survival and loss occur simultaneously, and on a remarkable scale. All unfolding on a remote oceanic island in the middle of the harsh Southern Ocean. Viewed through today’s lens, they also carry a sense of fragility. I can only hope that this wild, dynamic community that has overcome so much already, can continue to persevere and thrive for generations to come.

Category Highly Commended

Category Commended

Thank you to our sponsors

Nikon Australia is an Australian leader in digital imaging and optics, and is the proud Principal Sponsor of the 2026 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards. 

Lake Cowal Foundation (LCF) is a not-for-profit Environmental Trust, established to protect and enhance the nationally significant wetlands of Lake Cowal in New South Wales. LCF is a proud sponsor of the 2026 BirdLife Australia Photography Awards: Birds in the Landscape category.