Most photography competitions offer a cash or equipment prize, but I’m sure many of us would trade that off for a job as a photographer with a dream organization.
That’s exactly what Newfoundland-based photographer David Sturge has won after recently being crowned the Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS).
He now gets to work as a photographer for Canadian Geographic, RCGS’ bimonthly magazine, covering assignments across culture, environmental and travel in British Columbia.
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Canon EOS R6 II | Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM | 1/1800 sec | f/4 | ISO 640 (Image credit: David Sturge)
Sturge, who’s based in Paradise, Newfoundland, and works as a provincial park ranger and wildlife guide, won the competition with a stellar portfolio of animal portraits.
Among them were a dramatic shot of a puffin holding a feather in its mouth and looking directly at the camera, as well as a photogenic fox seemingly posing for the shot.
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(Image credit: David Sturge)
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(Image credit: David Sturge)
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(Image credit: David Sturge)
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(Image credit: David Sturge)
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According to the organizers, the 2026 edition of the photography competition attracted more than 10,000 entries. 18 photographers in total were honored for images depicting terrestrial and aquatic animals, flora and fungi, and winged species.
Steven Marriott claimed first place in the “Terrestrial Life” category for an action freeze-frame of an American mink dashing toward his lens after catching some prey at a conservation area in Ontario.
While in the “Aquatic Life” category, winner Jean-Christophe Lemay got the judges’ vote with a mesmerizingly colorful shot of a sandworm swimming on the surface of the St. Lawrence Estuary.
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American minx
(Image credit: Steven Marriott)
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Sandworm
(Image credit: Jean-Christophe Lemay)
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Cottongrass
(Image credit: Anthony Zerafa)
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(Image credit: Jon Behuniak)
Image 4 ( Jon Behuniak)
Over in the “Flora and Fungi” category, entomologist Anthony Zerafa came first with a shot of Scheuchzer’s cottongrass growing on the shore of Colour Lake on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut.
And Saskatchewan-based biologist Jon Behuniak won the “Things with Wings” category with a macro frame of a thick-headed fly on a raspberry cane.
The Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual photography competition celebrating the flora and fauna within Canadian borders. Photographs must be taken in Canada by photographers who are permanent residents in the country.
Deals on the winner’s cameras!
Here’s our tried-and-tested pick of the best cameras for wildlife photography.