Meet Our Winners

Garden for Wildlife’s 2022 Photo Contest

Lisa Moore
Garden Photography
Mar 31, 2023

THE FIFTH ANNUAL Garden for Wildlife™ Photo Contest attracted more than 7,200 photos from some 1,000 photographers sharing their love of nature—from city patios to rural meadows. Submitted in five categories, “these photographs showcase the beauty and importance of wildlife-friendly landscapes,” says GFW Manager Erin Sweeney. We hope you’ll enjoy this peek at three of the memorable winners.

GRAND PRIZE: LIFE’S ESSENTIAL

Training her camera on the spray of a backyard fountain—and using only the natural light of late afternoon—Soo Baus caught the magical midair feat of an Anna’s hummingbird (above) snatching a droplet for a summer drink. Living in Washington, Baus loves how this frame shows what the naked eye might miss. “The bird isn’t just playing,” she says. “Clean water is about survival.”

An image of a black bear, purple lupines and dandelions, the Grand prize runner up of the fifth annual Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest.

GRAND PRIZE RUNNER-UP: DANDELION DREAMS

Living in Alaska, Sarah Koonce loves to wander the meadows behind her home in the endless light of the Arctic summer, when black bears roam through the purple lupines to munch on dandelions. Dusted with dandelion fluff, this bear (above) evokes the whimsy and joy of nature. The bear “seemed happy,” says Koonce. “I hope this makes other people happy, too.”

CLOSE-UP WINNER: GRACEFUL SIP

You might call James Collins obsessed with hummingbirds—a label he’d gladly embrace. From May through September, he logs every visit of ruby-throated hummingbirds (above) to every plant and feeder in his Massachusetts garden. “Seventy-five percent of the time they prefer salvia” (like the plant shown above), says Collins, who delights in the birds’ beauty, flight and “curiosity.”