Birds are fascinating creatures, both when they’re in full flight or on land, and do make some stunning subjects for photographs. And that’s precisely why competitions like the Bird Photographer of the Year exist — to celebrate their beauty and their unique behaviours.
Now in its fourth year, the Bird Photographer of the Year competition has just announced the winners of its 2019 edition. The winning photographs, divided into seven categories plus three “extra” categories including the two grand prizes, were carefully selected from over 13,000 entries, coming from 63 countries all over the world.
Out of all those images, the grand prize went to a shot titled “Dancing on Ice” depicting a Dalmatian Pelican on the frozen Lake Kerkini, in Greece. The photo’s author, Caron Steele from the United Kingdom, won the top prize of £5000 and the title of Bird Photographer of the Year 2019. “[This] is an image that had me leaping from my chair with joy the moment I saw it,” commented Director and Competition Organiser Rob Read. “Lake Kerkini rarely freezes over and Caron certainly made the most of this virtually unique opportunity”.
The title of Young Bird Photographer of the Year for 2019 went on the other hand to Tamás Koncz-Bisztricz from Hungary for his shot of a group of Mallards titled “The Cradle of Life”, taken with the use of a drone.
The other seven categories include Bird in the Environment, Attention to Detail, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Garden and Urban Birds and Creative Imagery, as well as the award for the Best Portfolio— a prize that rewards “consistency of skill” and for which a photographer must submit a series of six shots to be scored by the competition’s judges.
The award for the best Inspirational Encounter was also assigned — it recipient is Martin Grace from the United Kingdom, who submitted a stunning shot of Emperor Penguins in Antarctica.
If you’d like to know more about the competition, you can check out its official website here.
