The Winners of the Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year Contest

The Canadian Museum of Nature and Canadian Geographic are proud to present the winners of the fifth edition of the Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year contest.

This exhibition presents the winning photographs of this contest, in its fifth year in 2012. The contest and resulting exhibition promote the beauty, diversity, value and vulnerability of wildlife by highlighting the most striking and unique photography depicting natural subjects.

This edition features 15 beautiful photographs from the following categories: On the Prowl, Things with Wings, What’s in the Water, From the Ground Up and Young Photographers.

Here are some samples from the gallery:

“On the Prowl” Runner-up (Pictured Above)—Kevin Mazur

Victoria, British Columbia

Kevin Mazur came across this North American black bear fishing for salmon by a waterfall at Thornton Creek on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The bear caught a salmon and turned around to face Mazur. “It was one of those rare opportunities where you get a true glimpse of a wild bear,” Mazur says.

North American black bear – Ursus americanus

 Salmon – Salmoninae sub-family

“Things with Wings” Winner—Monique Lavoie

Chelsea, Quebec

Monique Lavoie makes sure to leave lots of peanuts in her backyard for all the birds that visit. She captured this Blue Jay searching for a tasty treat after a snowfall one bright, sunny morning.

Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata

“What’s in the Water”  Winner—Iain Reid

Vancouver, British Columbia

While camping in Naikoon Provincial Park on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Iain Reid went for a walk on a dreary day at Yakan Point. The tide was low, but he didn’t come across much sea life on the beach until he spotted this bright blood star lying on some eelgrass. “The red star seemed to pop out against the green background,” he says. “So I took a photo of it before the tide covered it up.”

Blood star – Henricia leviuscula

Eelgrass – Zostera marina

“From the Ground Up” Runner-up—Manfred Meilinger

Wasaga Beach, Ontario

Manfred Meilinger caught this seedling during a photography workshop with photographer Julie Waterhouse last summer at the VanHart Greenhouses in Bradford, Ontario. Meilinger says the workshop taught him the importance of patience in photography and to pay close attention to composition.

Unidentified seedling

“Young Photographers” Runner-up—Herman Muller

White City, Saskatchewan

Twelve-year-old Herman Muller was on a weekend vacation with his parents in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, when he took this shot. He borrowed his mom’s camera and waited close to the black-tailed prairie dogs’ burrow until one emerged. He quickly snapped the photograph before the prairie dog disappeared back underground.

Black-tailed prairie dog – Cynomys ludovicianus

The full exhibition will be on display  from May 15 to July 7.