Submitted by Living Lakes Canada

Photography has the power to capture hearts and minds and inspire positive change. Images that show the wonder of natural lakescapes, glimpses into the lives of wildlife, and intimate moments of people in nature perfectly describe the photos submitted to the recently completed third Annual Lake Biodiversity Photo Challenge.

Organized by Living Lakes Canada, a national non-profit focused on water stewardship, the event aims to celebrate the beauty of lake biodiversity while raising awareness around growing impacts on lake health. Every year, the Photo Challenge invites people from coast to coast to submit their most engaging lake photos.

For the first time since the contest was launched in 2020, photos were submitted from every province and territory across the country. With 629 submissions flooding the online gallery, this mosaic of photography perfectly captures the spirit of lakes in Canada. From this incredible selection of entries, a Public Favourite winner was selected in four different categories via an online voting system where a total of 1,609 votes were cast in August.

Mitchell Brown won Public Favourite in the Lake Landscape category for capturing the vibrant glacial waters of Moraine Lake, Alberta. Elissa Devenz won Public Favourite for the Lake Biodiversity category for her mid-flight action shot of a Great Blue Heron gliding above Lake Simcoe, Ontario. Caroline Low won Public Favourite in the Kids Category for her playful picture of a racoon catching bugs and fish at Lost Lagoon in Vancouver. Melissa Horowitz won Public Favourite for the Lake Impacts category for her moving image of a mallard duck navigating plastic waste on Lac St. Louis, Quebec.

Titled “Beauty and the Beast”, Melissa’s description of her image echoes the purpose of the Photo Challenge: “This photo captures the resilience of nature, despite the devastating impact that humans have on our environment, and the urgent need for us to take action to protect it.”

Three Judges’ Favourite winners were also selected by a Living Lakes Canada panel that awarded Judges’ Favourite in the Lake Landscapes category to Richard Smith for the ethereal shot of Lake Okanagan after an afternoon rainstorm. Rachelle Mack won Judges’ Favourite in the Lake Biodiversity category for her photo of a frog seeking cover under a lily pad on Lake Scugog, Ontario. Chelsey Breeze won Judges’ Favourite in the Lake Impacts category for an eagle’s eye shot of urban infrastructure along Lake Ontario in Burlington.

A Judges’ special mention goes out to L. Mehner’s impactful photo showing how plastic pollution is impacting wildlife on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, Manitota. “It is a beauty nest for this Osprey with young ones…. Too bad about the garbage that has become part of their home,” commented Mehner.

The kids’ conservation organization and Lake Biodiversity Photo Challenge partner Earth Rangers awarded Judges’ Favourite in the Kids Category to Alexa Kornik for a mountainous picture of Lake Minnewanka, Alberta.

Winners of the Lake Landscapes, Lake Biodiversity and Lake Impacts categories will receive generous prize packages.

Living Lakes Canada thanks everyone whose participation in this year’s Challenge contributed to an amazing snapshot of lakes across the country.

The entire 2023 online gallery can be viewed here.

Lead image: Favourite for Lake Impacts. Photo by Melissa Horowitz. Lac St. Louis, Quebec. Photos submitted

Living Lakes Canada

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