Have you captured a great bird photo in Missouri this year? There’s still time to enter it in the Missouri River Bird Observatory’s 11th Annual Photo Contest, sponsored by Wood & Huston Bank!
This contest celebrates Missouri’s wild birds while raising funds to support MRBO’s education and outreach programs. 100% of contest entry fees benefit MRBO’s education programming.
📸 Contest Details
* Deadline: August 31, 2026 at 11:55 p.m. CST
* Entry fee: $25 per photograph
* Location requirement: Photographs must have been taken in Missouri
* Eligibility: Open to amateur photographers
* Birds: Photos must feature wild birds in a natural setting
🏆 Cash Prizes
* Conservation Grand Prize: $1,000
* First Place: $500
* Second Place: $250
* Third Place: $150
* Fourth Place: $100
* MRBO Director’s Choice: $200
The Conservation Grand Prize is a little different from the other categories. In addition to your photograph, you’ll submit a short description explaining why the photo is meaningful from a conservation perspective—for example, how it connects people with a species, habitat, or conservation issue. Conservation entries are also eligible for the other placement prizes.
A few important rules:
Photos must:
* Have been taken in Missouri.
* Include at least one wild bird in a natural setting.
* Be obtained ethically, following the National Audubon Society’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography.
* Not be digitally altered beyond standard optimization such as minor cropping and color correction.
Photos of domesticated or pet birds, birds in rehabilitation facilities, or birds being held during banding operations are not eligible.
Photographers retain the rights to their images, while MRBO may use submitted photographs—with photographer credit—in educational materials, presentations, social media, publications, videos, and other conservation-related communications.
