See the Winner of the 2025 Birds & Blooms Photo Contest

Every year, we invite readers to send us their best bird, hummingbird, bloom and butterfly photos for our annual Birds & Blooms Photo Contest.

For our 2025 photo contest we received thousands of extraordinary entries in four categories. Our editorial team narrowed it down to 16 semi-finalists. From there, we encouraged you to show support for your favorites. We are happy to announce that Teri Smith of Cleveland, Ohio, was chosen as the grand prize winner, for a heartwarming photo of juvenile barred owls.

The Story Behind the Winning Photo

In the original contest submission, Teri wrote, “Two young barred owls are sharing a grooming moment. One was fostered into an existing nest through a local nature center. Their bond shows the success of animal rehabilitation and the beauty of connection in nature.”

How to Enter Your Photo

Thanks for the thousands of Birds & Blooms readers who submitted entries and supported their favorite pictures. Here’s some more exciting news to share! We have even more contests planned, including the 2026 Photo Contest. Don’t miss out on your chance to be a winner.

Check our contests page for more details on how to enter upcoming and current contests and to read the official rules.

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Next, don’t miss the amazing winner of the 2024 Birds & Blooms Photo Contest.