Changing Exhibition
Bird Photographer of the Year
A Little Bird Told Us. . . You’ll Love These New Exhibitions
The State Museum will host Bird Photographer of the Year as one of two new bird-focused exhibitions opening March 7, 2026, exploring the beauty, diversity, and natural wonder of our feathered friends – birds.
Bird Photographer of the Year is a traveling exhibition that features nearly 70 award-winning images of birds captured by amateur and professional photographers. The 2025 contest received over 25,000 submissions and includes twelve categories, with submissions by photographers in both the adult and youth categories from 115 countries. Birds are photographed in
a wide variety of habitats and captured in breathtaking displays against stunning and sometimes unexpected backdrops.
The images capture the agility and power of these amazing animals, while sometimes revealing the fragility of the habitats that support them. “I am flabbergasted by so many of the photos,” says SCSM Natural History Curator, Scott Persons. “Not only are the birds beautiful and the imagery stunning, but often the photographer has captured a sense of each bird’s personality. These are rarely seen and intimate moments in nature.”