The People’s Choice voting site is now closed for voting, however you can still click the button below to view the exceptional images.
Thank you to all our participants for supporting our bird conservation work.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!
Thank you to all of our participating photographers for your amazing entries, additional donations, and your incredible support of our conservation efforts. At the end of the day the biggest winner, as a result of your support of this competition, is South Africa’s birdlife.
Copyright disclaimer: All images on this website are the legal property of the photographers, and the copyright for each is owned by its respective photographer. It is illegal to download and share these images without permission. Should you wish to use one or more of the images below, please email photocompetition@birdlife.org.za, and we will connect you with the owner(s).
(Click on an image below to open it in full)
Grand Prize
Dewald Tromp
Portrait
Tertius A Gous
Action
Don Hunter
Garden
Dionne Miles
Birds in the Environment
Tertius A Gous
Youth
Konrad Andrag
Threatened Species
Charl Senekal
Endemic Species
Glynn Harrington
People’s Choice
Sofia Goosen
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BirdLife South Africa is excited to announce that our Photography Competition, in partnership with Canon South Africa, is back in 2024.
We’re back and hope you’re ready to capture the magic of South Africa’s diverse birds once again!
Photography has a unique power to unveil the beauty and behaviour of the birds that surround us daily. So, dive into your memory cards, or get your lenses out and unearth that extraordinary bird shot – whether it’s of your regular garden visitor, or a lifer. As long as your image showcases the splendour of South Africa’s wild birds, we want to see it and celebrate it.
And you could be celebrating too! If your photo is crowned the Grand Prize winner, you and a companion will embark on an unforgettable, all-inclusive three-night retreat to the esteemed Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, valued at R237,960! Or perhaps your skill will shine in one of our nine other categories, each boasting its own extraordinary prize.
Plus, the winning entries will have their moment in the spotlight of our world-renowned magazine, African Birdlife, and in the BirdLife South Africa 2025 calendar. Don’t let this opportunity fly by!
Enter the 2024 BirdLife South Africa Photography Competition, proudly presented in partnership with Canon South Africa.
For any queries about the competition, feel free to reach out to us at photocompetition@birdlife.org.za.
Are you a paid-up member of BirdLife South Africa?
If so, you’ll receive a huge discount on your entries (R100/entry instead of R300/entry), so make sure you get in touch with BirdLife South Africa’s Membership Programme Manager, Shireen Gould, now to either sign up as a new member, renew your membership, or check that your membership is paid-up for the duration of the competition. Email her at membership@birdlife.org.za.
Find out more about BirdLife South Africa Membership here.
Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about prizes, categories, terms and conditions, and how to enter the competition.
Thanks to our prize sponsors:
Prizes
OVERALL WINNER
- GRAND PRIZE: An all-inclusive, 3-night stay for 2 people sharing at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, to the value of R237 960! This includes return flights from Johannesburg or Cape Town on an existing Tswalu scheduled charter service; all meals, snacks and beverages (including a full selection from an award-winning wine list); a private vehicle, guide and tracker; a dinner at Klein JAN restaurant; a botanical bush walk and a pangolin discussion (depending on experts’ availability); and more!
- PLUS: Canon South Africa will reward our Grand Prize winner with a loan of their latest top-of-the-range Canon camera equipment, valued at over R1 million, for the duration of their stay at Tswalu. This will be customised to their specific requirements.
MAIN CATEGORIES
- ACTION: A bucket-list pelagic birding weekend to tick off those sought-after seabirds, in the experienced hands of Cape Town Pelagics, Birding Africa, and The Silo Hotel; consisting of a world-famous Cape Town pelagic day trip for two people (valued at R7 190), and a two-night stay for two people sharing at The Silo Hotel, on a bed and breakfast basis.
- PORTRAIT: A two-night safari for two people sharing at Tintswalo Waterberg in the Welgevonden Game Reserve, including luxury accommodation, all meals and house drinks, and twice daily safari activities, valued at R23 680.
- BIRDS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: A two-night stay for two people sharing at The Oyster Box Hotel, including breakfast and dinner, to the value of R25 000.
- GARDEN: A two-night Pafuri walking safari with Return Africa, for two guests sharing one tent, including meals, local beverages and walking activities (valued at R20 800); and a hamper from Gardena to the value of R10 000.
- YOUTH: A Canon EOS R7 mirrorless camera with RF 100-400mm and RF 600mm f11 lenses, worth over R55 000.
SUB-CATEGORIES
- PEOPLE’S CHOICE: A Struik Nature book hamper, consisting of a range of bird and nature books, worth R5 000.
- VOTER PRIZE: A Struik Nature book hamper, consisting of a range of bird and nature books, worth R5 000.
- THREATENED SPECIES: A BirdLife South Africa fleece and peak cap, a Bateleur (Bird of the Year 2024) T-shirt and pin badge; plus a BirdLife South Africa membership, all worth R2 000.
- ENDEMIC SPECIES: A BirdLife South Africa fleece and peak cap, a Bateleur (Bird of the Year 2024) T-shirt and pin badge; plus a BirdLife South Africa membership, all worth R2 000.
Categories
GRAND PRIZE
The photograph that, according to the judges’ final decision and discretion, is the overall winner of the entire competition, based on a number of factors and photographic principles, including but not limited to: composition, focus, rule of thirds, emotive value, uniqueness of shot, judges’ experience, etc.
ACTION
A photograph that showcases birds (or a bird) in action, and/or highlights interesting or unbelievable bird behaviour.
PORTRAIT
A photograph that frames and depicts a bird (or birds) in a beautiful, engaging, and/or unique way, and gives the viewer a brief introduction to the bird species showcased.
BIRDS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
A photograph that highlights a bird (or birds) in relation to the environment around it, be it the weather, landscapes or habitats they exist in, interactions with other creatures or natural elements, etc.
GARDEN
A photograph which has been taken in an urban garden setting that uncovers the everyday beauty of some of our more common (or unique) garden visitors.
YOUTH
A photograph taken by a competition entrant who is under the age of 18 on the day of their entry.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE
A photograph that has been shortlisted by the competition judges, displayed on the BirdLife South Africa website, and has received the most votes from the public.
VOTER PRIZE
While this is not a photography category, one lucky person who votes for their favourite photo in the People’s Choice category, will stand a chance to win a Struik Nature book voucher, valued at R5 000.
THREATENED SPECIES
A photograph of a bird species that is marked as “Critically Endangered (CR)”, “Endangered (EN)”, or “Vulnerable (VU)” in the “BirdLife South Africa Checklist of Birds in South Africa 2024”. Only the Regional conservation status applies, not the Global conservation status. On the Checklist, this is the first listed designation. Note that Vagrant and Introduced species are excluded from this sub-category.
Please refer to the updated checklist here.
ENDEMIC SPECIES
A photograph of a bird species that is marked as “endemic (E)”, “endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and eSwatini (SLS)”, or “near endemic (i.e. ~70% or more of population in RSA) (NE)” in the “BirdLife South Africa Checklist of Birds in South Africa 2024”.
Please refer to the updated checklist here.
Competition Rules
Below are some of the main Competition Rules to take note of, but please ensure you read and understand the full Terms & Conditions at the button below.
- The competition opened for entries on 9 May 2024, and closed for entries at 23h59 on 30 June 2024.
- A maximum of 4 images may be uploaded per entry.
- Images should be uploaded as “jpg” or “png” files, and should be less than 5MB in size.
- Participants may enter more than once, but will have to pay per entry.
- Entry fees are R100 (for BirdLife South Africa members) or R300 (for non-BirdLife South Africa members) per entry. All proceeds go towards our important bird conservation work.
- The discounted entry fee is only for fully paid-up members (not African Birdlife magazine subscribers, bird club members, or members of our Facebook Group). Members must be paid up to the end of the competition period.
- The competition is only open to people who are resident in South Africa, and prize winners may be asked to provide necessary supporting documentation.
- The competition is not open to BirdLife South Africa employees, BirdLife South Africa Board members, Trustees of the BirdLife National Trust, members of official BirdLife South Africa committees, employees of the competition’s sponsors, competition judges, or the immediate families of any of the aforementioned parties.
- Entries should be photographs of wild birds that occur in South Africa. Please refer to the BirdLife South Africa Checklist of Birds in South Africa 2024.
- Photographers should follow BirdLife South Africa’s Birding Code of Ethics, including no flushing of birds, and avoiding playback of calls to attract birds.
- The entry should not have been an overall or category winner or runner up in this competition, or other previous competitions.
- Photographers’ names and/or watermarks must be removed from all images before they are uploaded to the competition’s entry form, to allow for anonymity.
- Edits, such as cropping, lighting, etc., should be kept to a minimum, and major manipulation using design software is discouraged.
- The competition’s judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into. Judges are not to be contacted about the progress or judging of the competition during the competition period.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE TERMS & CONDITIONS, BY CLICKING THE BUTTON BELOW:
Meet the judges
Prelena Owen
Prelena is a South African- born Indian, wildlife photographer whose fascination with Nature started at a very young age. It was only in her late 20’s that she discovered the magic of the wild when she had her first encounter with an elephant. Since then she has travelled widely to follow her passion while holding down a corporate job.
Her interest in photography was sparked a few years ago and her work has been recognized on global platforms. She has been placed and won several competitions both locally and internationally.
Website:
Facebook:
Adam Riley
Adam Riley has grown up with a lifelong interest in wildlife, which evolved into a particular fascination with birds. Raised in a rural region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Adam qualified as a Chartered Accountant but in 1998 his career path took an alternative route when he founded Rockjumper Birding Tours with his friend Jonathan Rossouw.
Website:
www.rockjumperbirding.com
Instagram:
@adamrileywildlife
Lizet Grobbelaar
Lizet Grobbelaar is a well-known birder and bird photographer among the South African birding community. She has seen over 880 bird species in Southern Africa of which she has managed to photograph over 780. Lizet decided to take up bird photography in the late 90s, a hobby she wanted to share with her husband Johann Grobbelaar. Being mentored primarily by Johann and well-known bird photographers, Warwick Tarboton and Hugh Chittenden she got experienced in finding nesting birds and rare birds to photograph. The Eastern Highlands in Zimbabwe is her favourite birding destination but photographing River Warbler for the first time was a memorable moment! Lizet has published numerous bird photos in field guides, birding Apps, and magazines.
She has been using Canon gear all her life and believes the best lens for bird photography is the longest focal length you can carry!
Facebook page – Lizet Grobbelaar.
Roger Machin
Roger Machin is the product marketing manager at Canon South Africa and has worked in the photographic industry for almost 30 years. He has a wealth of knowledge on Canon photo and video products. He has been a guest judge in a large variety of local and international competitions spanning many genres of photography. He has worked with many local and international photographers and has a very good knowledge of what constitutes an award-winning picture. He is also a very keen birder, having rekindled the hobby in the last five years after a 30 years lapse. He is currently over 520 species seen in Southern Africa and has photographed over 450 of them. This makes him acutely aware of the challenges faced by bird photographers.
Isak Pretorius
Isak is a specialist wildlife photographic guide from South Africa and offers workshops and safaris across the African continent. His discovery of nature’s special moments at a young age shaped his aspirations of today: to showcase the beauty of his continent’s natural wonders in a creative new way. His bird and wildlife images have won multiple awards, including the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for Bird Behaviour. His preferred genre of fine art bird photography is easily recognisable by their authentic style, simplistic design and technical skill.
website:
https://theafricanphotographer.com/
Instagram:
Facebook:
Entry Form
Please note: the entry form closed at midnight on 30 June 2024.
For any queries regarding the competition, please email photocompetition@birdlife.org.za.