Awards and Recognitions
As a wildlife photographer, I strive to create images that connect with an audience, either because they are telling a unique story, illustrate the beauty of nature in unique or creative ways, elicit an emotional response, or all of the above. One major impediment in knowing whether that endeavor has been successful is the personal attachment we all have to our own work. No matter how hard we try, the experiences of taking the image will always skew our interpretation of it. And that is why photography competitions can be a great way to get independent feedback. Do our images resonate with an audience that has absolutely no personal attachment to them? Do they stand out from the crowd of tens and hundreds of thousands of images that are reviewed by contest judges every year? There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that they do. But it is a slippery slope and should not be used as a primary source of validation. Judging is not free of biases, includes a healthy level of arbitrariness, is influenced by trends, and is subject to editorial and political decisions that go beyond the photography itself. So when results are disappointing, it is not a final judgement on the value or success of our work. All in all, I think the independent feedback from photo contests can be valuable for developing as a photographer, when seen for what it is. Hence, I have been submitting my work to various competitions since 2023. This page is a running list of the results to date.
Finalist, Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, 2024
Category Natural World
Honorable Mention, Monochrome Awards, 2024
Category Wildlife
Category Nature
Top 250, Share the View International Nature Photography Contest, 2024
Winner
National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, 2024
Category: Mobile
Winner
NANPA Showcase 2025
Category: Macro, Micro & All Other Wildlife
Top 100, NANPA Showcase 2025
Top 250, NANPA Showcase 2025
Top 100, Audubon Photo Awards, 2024
Top 250, NANPA Showcase 2024
Top 250, Bird Photographer of the Year
Published in Collection 8, 2024
Winner
Share the View International Nature Photography Contest, 2023
Category: Migratory Birds
Top 100, WildArt Photographer of the Year, 2023
Category: Naturescapes
Top 250, Bird Photographer of the Year
Published in Collection 7, 2023
In addition, my work is consistently selected from thousands of entries into a small percentage of semi-finalist or finalist images that are considered for a potential award at prestigious international nature and wildlife photography contests, including:
Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2023, 2024)
Travel Photographer of the Year (2023, 2024)
MontPhoto Mountain and Nature Photography (2024)
Siena International Photo Awards (2024)
Nature's Best Photography International Awards (2024)