Birds are wonderful creatures!
Birdo Bird Photographer of the Year is a travelling exhibition of the winning photos of the Birdo International Photo Contest 2024 at the Agóra Veszprém Cultural Centre. The exhibition is open until 31 August
The Birdo Bird Photographer of the Year is the only annual international photography competition in Hungary where birds are the main protagonists. After Budapest, Tata, Debrecen and Kecskemét, the winning works of the 2024 edition will be presented in Veszprém, where they will be on display at Agóra Veszprém from 8 to 31 August 2025. The winning photos on the 49 tables were selected by Birdo's seven-member expert jury from more than 3,500 entries received. The competition attracted photographers from more than 30 countries, with the only exception of Antarctica, which was not included in the seven continents. They uploaded images from Canada, India, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Lapland. The 506 photos that made it to the second round show more than 170 species of birds. Renowned wildlife photographers have commented that this competition is not only professionally high quality, but also endearing.
The authors of the exhibited photos are well-known bird and nature photographers from Hungary and abroad, as well as birdwatchers and hobby photographers. The competition was open to all, with no entry fee, in 10 categories focusing on the appearance, movement and life of birds, and even on artistic solutions. Young people could compete in a separate category, and the Bird Rescue Photo Series was dedicated to showcasing bird conservation projects.
The main winners of the 2024 call:
- Birdo Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 - Bence Máté
- Birdo Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 - Tamás Koncz-Bisztricz
- Birdo Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 - Éva Glavati Nagy: Dance of the egrets
About the organisers
The Birdo Bird Photographer of the Year competition is an initiative of three private individuals. With the Birdo photo competition, they want to spread the idea of the importance of nature conservation to as many people as possible. They believe that anyone who has the opportunity to experience the beauty of nature, even if only through photographs, will not be an active environmentalist, but will certainly not destroy natural values.
The promoters and organisers are active in different areas of the environmental side. Awad Abdel Halim Doris has previously worked on environmental policy programmes, eco-labelling, forestry subsidies and is currently involved in the eradication of illegal timber trade linked to climate protection efforts. Andor Czeglédi is the Chief Operating Officer of a major national company committed to environmental protection. Zsuzsanna S. Takács has worked as a communications specialist on several environmental issues and was the author of an environmental blog for many years.
Website: bird-o.hu
About the professional sponsors
On 6 January 1974, the Hungarian Ornithological Society (MME) was founded with 200 members, and over the decades it has become the largest nature conservation society in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, 10,000 members and thousands of volunteers support the activities of the MME, which has contributed significantly to the strengthening of Hungarian nature conservation over the past 50 years. Among other things, the association's objectives are to raise awareness of natural values and the objectives of nature conservation, to increase the number of supporters of nature conservation, to form attitudes, to organise and implement conservation research and conservation programmes, to lobby for interests at national and international level, and to participate in the work of international nature conservation organisations.
Since its establishment in 2009, the Hungarian Bird Rescue Foundation has taken in and treated nearly 30,000 animals. The 157 years of professional background of the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, the unparalleled professional knowledge of its nurses and veterinarians continuously contributes to the recovery of injured birds and small mammals, so that they can be returned to the wild or, if this is no longer possible, they can continue their lives in the Wildlife Rescue Centre of the Zoo or the Small Zoo on Margaret Island, giving birth to healthy offspring.
The Száz Völgy Nature Conservation Association (SZVTE) was founded by 21 individuals, mainly living in Komárom-Esztergom County, who consider the conservation of local natural values and the preservation of biodiversity important. Through its work, the association supports the nature conservation activities of local authorities and promotes the development and spread of an environmentally conscious attitude. On the one hand, through concrete and well-organised actions, it carries out conservation work that is meaningful, supported by data and actually implemented. In carrying out this work, it takes particular care to inform the public about its actions and, where possible, to involve them in the programmes. In addition to their many bird and habitat conservation projects, one of their major programmes is the annual Tata Wild Goose Festival, which has been held since 2001.
The exhibition is open until 31 August during Agóra's opening hours