The results are in for the winners of the 2022 HCTF Conservation Lands Photo Contest!
The 2022 Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation’s Photo Contest encouraged photographers and BC residents to get out to Conservation Lands across the Province to enjoy the natural beauty British Columbia has to offer.
1st Prize: Karen Wipond Award
2nd Prize
3rd Prize
Honourable Mention
Conservation Lands
The winning photographs were taken within the boundaries of provincially administered Conservation Lands in the province of British Columbia (see map below). While HCTF encourages photographers and all nature-minded individuals to explore BC’s Conservation Lands we recommend that you research the Conservation Land you intend to visit beforehand, obey all safety requirements, public access best practices, and ethical guidelines when taking pictures of wildlife (for recommended ethical wildlife photography see the Audubon Society’s Guide). Conservation Lands are protected and managed for the purposes of conserving important habitat and ecosystem functions, and it is important that visitors do their part to maintain these sites for generations to come.
The primary purpose of conservation lands is to conserve and manage important habitat for the benefit of regionally or internationally significant fish and wildlife species. This includes habitat that is vital for:
- Sensitive, vulnerable, or at-risk species.
- Critical species life-cycle phases such as spawning, rearing, nesting, or winter feeding.
- Species migration routes or other movement corridors.
- Supporting unusually high species productivity or diversity.
Conservation lands often concurrently provide for a range of opportunities for public access, including day hiking, hunting and fishing, wildlife viewing, scientific research and education, and traditional activities of First Nations.
- 2019 Winners
In 2019 the HCTF photo contest was split into 3 separate photography categories; BC Wildlife or Freshwater Fish, BC Landscape, and People in Nature. We received hundreds of entries showcasing the province’s most spectacular fish and wildlife species, picturesque locations and British Columbians themselves connecting with nature right here at home.
Category: BC Wildlife and Freshwater Fish
Category: BC Landscapes
Category: People in Nature
- 2017 Winners
In 2017 we received hundreds of entries showcasing BC’s fish, wildlife and habitats, but in the end, it was three incredible bird photos that swept the podium. Devon Yu‘s perfectly-timed photo of a pileated woodpecker feeding its chicks was chosen as the grand prize winner, and photos by Ben Nelms and Sheldon Bilsker were selected as the runners-up.
Grand Prize
Runners-Up
- 2015 Winners
In 2017 we received hundreds of entries showcasing BC’s fish, wildlife and habitats, but in the end, it was three incredible bird photos that swept the podium. Devon Yu‘s perfectly-timed photo of a pileated woodpecker feeding its chicks was chosen as the grand prize winner, and photos by Ben Nelms and Sheldon Bilsker were selected as the runners-up.
Grand Prize
Runners-Up
In Memory of Karen Wipond
Newly dedicated this year, the 1st prize award in the HCTF Photo contest has been renamed in memory of Karen Wipond.
Karen was a lifelong champion for conservation and, for many years, the lead for the Province of British Columbia’s Conservation Lands Program. While working tirelessly to protect these special places, Karen was also an avid and gifted photographer, taking many stunning photos of the landscapes she so loved. Passionate, articulate, stylish, and hilarious, Karen passed away from cancer in 2020. She is missed but not forgotten by her family, friends, peers and colleagues.
To view some of Karen’s landscape photography see here.
Header Image: Pitt-Addington Marsh Wildlife Management Area
