The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation’s Photo Contest is back!
We are encouraging photographers and BC residents to get out to wild places and Conservation Lands across British Columbia to enjoy the beauty the province has to offer – and to send us the images you capture while you are out in nature. If you have a fantastic image of wildlife, freshwater fish, or landscapes from anywhere in BC you could win up to $500 in Visa Gift Cards. Have a photo snapped in one of BC’s many Conservation Land sites? You could win up to $1,000 in Visa Gift Cards.
Photographs for the Conservation Lands (Karen Wipond Award) category must have been taken within the boundaries of a provincially administered Conservation Lands area in the province of British Columbia (see map below). While we encourage 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.
Entries must be submitted via email to communications@hctf.ca by 4:30 pm PDT on October 31st, 2023 and must be submitted in .jpg file format.
Photographs can be colour or black and white and should be taken on a high-resolution camera. Images should be no larger than 50 megabytes and without watermarks or other markings that identify the photographer.
All entries should be labeled with the photographer’s name included in the file name and you should include in your email submission the location where the photograph was taken and any contact information required to get in contact with the entrant.
For additional information, please contact Carly McGregor by phone at (250) 940‐3011 or by email at carly.mcgregor@hctf.ca.
Prizes
Karen Wipond Award – Conservation Lands 1st Prize: $1,000 CAD Visa Gift Card
Karen Wipond Award – Conservation Lands 2nd Prize: $250 CAD Visa Gift Card
Wildlife or Freshwater Fish 1st Prize: $500 CAD Visa Gift Card
Wildlife or Freshwater Fish 2nd Prize: $250 CAD Visa Gift Card
Landscape 1st Prize: $500 CAD Visa Gift Card
Landscape 2nd Prize: $250 CAD Visa Gift Card
The winning entries will be selected by a panel established by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF). Each photo shall be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. The top entries will be featured on our website and social media platforms. Please note that entries may be used by HCTF to communicate about the contest, the Foundation, and conservation in BC, both during and after the contest period.
An individual may enter up to five photos. Photos must have been taken in the province of British Columbia to be eligible; for the Conservation Lands category, photos must be taken within a recognized Conservation Land property to be eligible.
After reading the HCTF 2023 Photo Contest Official Rules and Regulations, please submit your photo through the email link above.
- 2022 Winners
Conservation Lands
The winning photographs were taken within the boundaries of provincially administered Conservation Lands in the province of British Columbia.
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.
2nd Prize
3rd Prize
Honourable Mention
- 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
A new Conservation Lands category of the HCTF photo contest has been dedicated in honour 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 pictures of conservation lands across British Columbia. As part of her work, she developed strong relationships with non-profit partners such as The Nature Trust of BC, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation because she believed partnerships generated far better outcomes for conservation than any single entity could achieve alone. 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
