The National Audubon Society announced the winners of the 2023 Audubon Photography Awards. Now in its fourteenth year, the contest features stunning work from professionals, amateurs and young people that highlights the beauty of birds and the joy of capturing them through photographs and videos. The Video Prize celebrates the dynamic movement and unique behaviors of birds interacting with their habitat. This year, the state-endangered Short-eared Owl took home top prize.

 Video Award Winner Steven Chu described the story behind the shot:

 “I’ve spent the past four winters setting out every free moment to document Short-eared Owls. They survey the grasslands for voles close to sunset, but many times the birds don’t come out at all or are too far away. On this day, at the end of the trail, I heard an owl call. I saw another fly quickly to the first. The birds locked talons and cartwheeled downward, releasing each other just before hitting the ground. I’d never seen this before. It was my lucky day!”

 Photo and video award winners and honorable mentions will be featured in the Summer 2023 issue of Audubon magazine.