Canadian Geographic announces the winners of its Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year competition Français
Quebec City-based photographer Maxime Légaré-Vézina is the Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year and begins a two-year term as the Audain Emerging Photographer-in-Residence with Canadian Geographic
OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Canadian Geographic, Canada's #1 paid magazine has chosen the winners of its 2025 Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year competition, which celebrates remarkable images of Canadian wildlife captured by Canadian photographers. Out of a total of more than 10,000 entries, nine photographers were honoured for their outstanding work.
"Incredible wildlife photography is a pillar of our work at the magazine, and we're always on the lookout for emerging talent," said Canadian Geographic Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Pope. "The magazine team and our judges were impressed with the amazing diversity of species and scenes entered into the competition this year — from enormous polar bears to tiny fireflies and everything in between."
Photos were entered into four categories — "Terrestrial life," "Aquatic life," "Flora and fungi" and "Things with wings" — and judged by Canadian Geographic's editorial and design staff, as well as professional wildlife photographers Ryan Tidman, Jenny Wong and John E. Marriott.
"Terrestrial life" winner Jean-Simon Bégin gave us chills with his shot of a family of Canada lynx making their way through a heavy snowfall in northern Ontario.
"Aquatic life" winner Alex Côté offered us a compelling glimpse at the hidden world of freshwater with his atmospheric shot of a common merganser chick diving in Quebec's Lake Memphremagog.
With wildfires once again dominating headlines this summer, "Flora and fungi" winner Jillian A. Brown captured the deadly beauty of a fire near Squamish, B.C. as the flames consumed moss on a cliff face.
"Things with wings" winner Leslie Poulson wowed the judges with a macro shot of a northern spreadwing dragonfly covered in droplets of morning dew.
One photographer's body of work stood out among all the entries. The 2025 Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year is Maxime Légaré-Vézina of Quebec City, who now begins a two-year term as the Audain Emerging Photographer-in-Residence with Canadian Geographic. Thanks to the generous support of the Audain Foundation, whose wildlife conservation mandate is focused in British Columbia, Légaré-Vézina will have the opportunity to shoot on assignment for Canadian Geographic in B.C. and participate in events promoting visual storytelling.
Three years ago, Légaré-Vézina, 36, left his steady bank job to pursue photography full-time. "So far, so good. I'm not bankrupt yet!" he jokes. Since then, he's devoted himself to observing wildlife, learning animal behaviour and honing the patience needed to capture moments of piercing eye contact with different species. Being named the inaugural Audain Emerging Photographer-in-Residence is both an honour and an opportunity to keep exploring, he says. "There are so many places in Canada I want to photograph. My passion is still there: to travel, discover new places, new species and live this life of adventure."
The winning images will be published in Canadian Geographic's November/December issue, available on newsstands starting October 15.
About the Can Geo Photo Club
Canadian Geographic actively seeks out and nurtures Canadian photographic talent through its Photo Club, a free-to-join, 15,000-member-strong community of amateur and professional photographers. The Club hosts two competitions per year.
Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year 2025 - full winners list
Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Maxime Légaré-Vézina, Quebec City
Terrestrial life
Winner: Jean-Simon Bégin, Quebec City
Runner-up: Reece Buruma, Petrolia, Ont.
Aquatic life
Winner: Alex Côté, Magog, Que.
Runner-up: Maxwel Hohn, Courtenay, B.C.
Flora and fungi
Winner: Jillian A. Brown, Squamish, B.C.
Runner-up: Haolun Tian, Kingston, Ont.
Things with wings
Winner: Leslie Poulson, Bralorne, B.C.
Runner-up: Trevor Lowthers, Dartmouth, N.S.
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Published by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Canadian Geographic magazine is Canada's #1 paid magazine with 4.3M readers each month. The tradition of telling Canada's story first began in 1930 with the first edition of what became Canadian Geographic. Each edition is a voyage of discovery and exploration that features the latest science, environment, travel and human and cultural stories from across the country. Reader supported, Canadian Geographic is published six times a year and is complemented by a highly engaging website and a dynamic supplement series.
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SOURCE Royal Canadian Geographical Society
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