Bear and Salmon Pictured Together in Canada’s Best Nature Photos 2023

Matt Growcoot
Canadian Photos of the Year Competition
The photographer waited three days for this amazing split shot of salmon and bear. | Liron Gertsman

The winners of the 2023 Canadian Photos of the Year competition held by Canadian Geographic have been announced.

Taking home the grand prize of 5,000 Canadian dollars ($3,700) and the title of Canadian Photographer of the Year was Brandon Broderick from Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Broderick captured grizzly bears, waterfalls, and a Canada lynx as he traveled relentlessly around the Canadian west coast in search of great photos.

Canadian Photographer of the Year | Brandon Broderick
Canadian Photographer of the Year | Brandon Broderick
Canadian Photographer of the Year | Brandon Broderick
A trio of surfers heads for shore, leaving the beach to the blackbirds as fog begins to roll in at Cox Bay in Tofino, B.C. Winner of the Outdoor Adventure category. | Alan McCord
An ice climber scales the inside of a glacier cave on the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park, Alta. Months later, the photographer returned to the area to find that this section of the glacier had disappeared. Runner up in the Outdoor Adventure category. | Chandresh Kedhambadi
A racer takes on the Creeper Trail near Nanaimo, B.C. during the BC Bike Race, a seven-day, multi-stage mountain bike race. Dry trail conditions made for some atmospheric shots as the morning sun filtered through the dust kicked up by the racers. Honorable mention in the Outdoor Adventure category | Sara Kempner
The rising sun shines through a gap between the horizon and a blanket of dark clouds, illuminating Vancouver’s Science World building. Winner of the Urban and Natural Landscapes category | Aaron Ward
The Sun sets over the badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alta., a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its iconic hoodoos and abundance of dinosaur fossils. Runner up in the Urban and Natural Landscapes category | Murray Cotton
The Three Sisters mountains are reflected in a small lake at sunset in Canmore, Alta. Honorable mention in the Urban and Natural Landscapes category | Bing Li
Storm clouds gather over Powell Inlet on Devon Island, Nunavut. Winner of the Weather, Seasons, and Skies category | Todd Mintz
A G3 geomagnetic storm produces a dazzling display of aurora borealis over dilapidated farm structures in Pense, Sask. The G-Scale is used to measure the intensity of geomagnetic storms, with G1 being the weakest and G5 the strongest. Runner up in the Weather, Seasons, and Skies category | Joel Waghela
Alberta’s strongest tornado since the infamous 1987 Black Friday twister etches its mark on the landscape southeast of Didsbury, Alta. on July 1, 2023, while a chase vehicle looks on. Honorable mention in the Weather, Seasons, and Skies category | Braydon Morisseau
Canadian Photos of the Year Competition
A female pink salmon has completed its long journey from the ocean to its home river in central Vancouver Island to spawn — and perhaps become a meal for a hungry black bear. The photographer worked for three days to capture this split shot highlighting the relationship between these two keystone species. Winner of the Wildlife in Actions category | Liron Gertsman
A common loon shakes water from its feathers as the sun rises over Mitchell Lake in Kirkfield, Ont. Runner up in the Wildlife in Actions category | Matt Parish
Water cascades over the eye of a great blue heron as it plunges its bill into Lake Chipican, near Sarnia, Ont. Honorable mention in the Wildlife in Actions category | Shaun Antle

Published by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the Canadian Geographic magazine is published six times a year and all the winning images of the competition will be published in the March/April edition, hitting newsstands on February 19.

The competition is supported by Nikon and Canadian Geographic actively seeks out and nurtures Canadian photographic talents via its Photo Club.

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