The 2024 Canadian Photos of the Year Competition has unveiled 14 remarkable winners, each capturing breathtaking moments that define the beauty, power, and diversity of Canada’s landscapes and wildlife. From a dramatic lightning strike over a golden canola field to an octopus mother protecting her delicate eggs, these images exemplify the essence of photography—“drawing with light.”
The competition, judged by renowned photographers and experts including Christian Fleury, Jenny Wong, and Scott Forsyth, celebrates both the technical skill and artistic vision of the country’s top photographers. Each winning shot tells a compelling story, transporting viewers into fleeting yet unforgettable moments in nature, adventure, and human connection.
Among the standout winners is Shane Turgeon, crowned Canadian Photographer of the Year for his ability to capture the healing power of nature through his lens. A journey that began as a personal escape following a life-altering experience has evolved into an inspiring photographic career.
From intricate dewdrops on grass to frost-kissed leaves, Turgeon’s work embodies a deep appreciation for the natural world’s smallest yet most profound details. His story, along with the other winning images, underscores the transformative nature of photography—not just as a visual art but as a means to connect, heal, and inspire. The 2024 Canadian Photos of the Year winners stand as a testament to the extraordinary talent and passion within Canada’s photography community.
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#1. Canadian Photographer of the Year 2024: Shane Turgeon
#2. Outdoor Adventure – Winner: Sara Kempner
"These mountain bikers hit their jumps at the same time as they race side-by-side on parallel tracks during the “Speed & Style” competition at the 2024 finale of the Crankworx World Tour, held in Whistler, B.C."
#3. Outdoor Adventure – Runner-up: Matthew Littlewood
"Dome Glacier, on the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park, Alta., is constantly shifting, creating new features each year. This icy archway had only been a small opening the previous year and is unlikely to remain intact this year as the glacier shifts."
#4. Outdoor Adventure – Honourable mention: Gerald Situ
"Highliner Mat Bolduc enjoys the first sunrise on a naturally-rigged highline named “Naked Fainting Goat.” The highline was naturally secured (without bolts) on Goat Ridge in Squamish, B.C., and was “more raw and visceral than any highline we had been on before,” says Situ."
#5. Outdoor Adventure – Honourable mention: Oscar Hui
"As the morning sun bathes this valley in the Drumheller Badlands, Alta., a lone couple hikes a trail through a landscape shaped by time."
#6. Urban and Natural Landscapes – Winner: Peter Baumgarten
"The late afternoon sun paints the sky a moody apricot between the looming silhouettes of two condo towers in Etobicoke, Toronto. From Butterfly Park, the photographer used a super-telephoto lens to focus on the contrast between light and shadow."
#7. Urban and Natural Landscapes – Runner-up: Sonny Parker
"A storm brews over the Kluane Ranges in Kluane National Park and Reserve, Yukon, as the sun illuminates the Kaskawulsh River valley in gold."
#8. Urban and Natural Landscapes – Honourable mention: Brandon Broderick
"Trees cast their long cold shadows onto the expanse of a frozen lake near Tumbler Ridge, B.C."
#9. Weather, Seasons and Skies – Winner: Craig Boehm
"A tornado-warned storm swirls like a cinnamon bun over the prairies of Avonlea, Sask. The sculpted cloud above the abandoned building is the rain-free updraft area, while a microburst dumps rain and hail on the right-hand side."
#10. Weather, Seasons and Skies – Runner-up: Curtis Watson
"The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet streaks over the Bay of Fundy at Burntcoat Head Park, N.S., during low tide in October 2024. The last peoples to see this comet, which has an 80,000-year orbit, with the naked eye would have been the Neanderthals."
#11. Weather, Seasons and Skies – Honorable mention: Peter O’Hara
"The northern lights dance over Vermillion Lakes in Banff National Park, Alta., as Mount Rundle stands majestic, illuminated in an eerie green glow."
#12. Flora, Fauna and Fungi – Winner: Stuart White
"Two red fox kits, tumbling around in the dirt of Bonavista, N.L., pause their play to glance at the photographer in the soft morning light. Fox kits are born in the spring and after nine weeks are old enough to hunt with their parents."
#13. Flora, Fauna and Fungi – Runner-up: Eli Wolpin
"It took 40 minutes and three tanks of air for the photographer to reach this giant Pacific octopus, which laid her eggs in early June in Whytecliff Marine Protected Area, B.C. After laying their eggs, octopus mothers stay in their dens, protecting their young. Eventually, they stop eating, and are often dead by the time the eggs hatch."
#14. Flora, Fauna and Fungi – Honorable mention: Rain Saulnier
"These Atlantic puffins take a break from hunting for fish to have a sunset social near Elliston, N.L."
