Grand Prize Winner
MASAYA KOYANAGI, YELLOWKNIFE
Though the stretch of Mackenzie Highway from Fort Providence to Yellowknife is known for the herds of hulking bison that can bring traffic to a standstill, Masaya spotted a great grey owl on a January afternoon drive. And the owl appears to have spotted him. Masaya went out searching for wildlife to photograph and, from roughly 30 feet away, snapped this shot—the grand prize winner of Up Here’s annual photo contest.
SCIENCE & NATURE
Winner
PIERRE-EMMANUEL CHAILLON, FORT SMITH, NWT
Pierre-Emmanuel saw this wolf in Wood Buffalo National Park before it ran into the woods. He waited to see if it would return.
It did. Man and wolf watched each other for 40 minutes. “It is one of the most magical moments I’ve had in the bush,” he says.
Honourable Mention
NATALIE GILLIS, PARRY SOUND, ON
In June, on the sea ice of Eclipse Sound between Baffin and Bylot islands, Natalie noticed this bear sleeping soundly next to a seal’s breathing hole. “Deep in his slumber, the bear took no notice of me as I photographed him turning over,” she says. (She was a safe distance away, of course.)
ARTS & CULTURE
Winner
MITCHELL TOUESNARD, HAY RIVER, NWT
On the shores of Great Bear Lake in Délįne, NWT, a sun dog with two tipis silhouetted in the foreground.
Honourable Mention
DENISE PETERSON, CAMBRIDGE BAY, NU
Tanis Peterson fillets a freshly caught Arctic char using an ulu, revealing vibrantly coloured meat—the harbinger of a tasty meal. “I was mesmerized by my sister's ability to perfectly fillet her fish using a traditional tool,” says Denise. “Mine did not turn out so well.”
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
Winner
DENISE PETERSON, CAMBRIDGE BAY, NU
Tom Rutherdale makes the most of a late thaw and enjoys a June kite-boarding session on Cambridge Bay’s namesake water body. “It’s hard to believe that this photo was taken when summer was just around the corner,” says Denise.
Honourable Mention
PIERRE-EMMANUEL CHAILLON, FORT SMITH, NWT
Following a paddle and day-hike in Nahanni National Park with friends, Pierre-Emmanuel took a photo of their campsite after dinner as a souvenir “of this amazing time we were sharing and the beauty of this untouched nature,” he says. It was a birthday he’ll never forget.
PEOPLE & HISTORY
Winner
ALASDAIR MARTIN, YELLOWKNIFE
“When I first saw this ATV, it looked like the boy was driving—with the little dog doing very well to keep up,” says Alasdair, who took this photo on a glorious July day in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.
Honourable Mention
MITCHELL TOUESNARD, HAY RIVER, NWT
Everyone told Mitchell to visit the church in Fort Good Hope, NWT while he was there for work. A nun agreed to show him in and he was floored. The sun was setting and shining through the stained-glass windows. The
moment, he says, was perfect.
