PHOTO FINISH

Canadian Geographic presents the winners of its 33rd annual photo competition

URBAN CANADA | WINNER Ron Huang

The Edmonton skyline and departing clouds are reflected in the flooded roof of the Muttart Conservatory after a day of heavy rain. The conservatory’s iconic pyramids house more than 700 species of plants in climate-controlled biomes.

A canoe seems to hover, weightless, on the morning fog on a lake in British Columbia. A day of rain reveals a perfect reflection of an Edmonton landmark. A housefly alights on a rain-streaked window. The winning images in Canadian Geographic’s 33rd Annual Photo Competition attest to the power of photography to highlight the beauty in the quotidian. All it takes is the skill, patience and imagination of the photographer. The following 10 images represent the best of the best of more than 4,500 entries, as chosen by our judges: Canadian Geographic editor-in-chief Aaron Kylie, contributing photographer Ben Powless and Ottawa-based photographer Celine Bowe.

See the honourable mentions from the 33rd Annual Photo Competition at annual18.canadiangeographic.ca.

URBAN CANADA | RUNNER-UP Jeff Dickie

A flock of pigeons soars past a condo balcony in Toronto’s Bloor Annex neighbourhood. Most of North America’s pigeons are the feral descendants of domesticated birds brought by European settlers throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

FLORA AND FAUNA | WINNER Susan Dubois

A housefly is reflected in a rain-streaked window.

FLORA AND FAUNA | RUNNER-UP Tina Girard

A northern gannet flies above its colony on Bonaventure Island, part of Parc national de l’île-bon-aventure-etdu-rocher-percé in Gaspésie, Que. With an estimated 116,000 birds, the colony is the largest in North America.

WILD WEATHER | WINNER Ryan Wunsch

A supercell thunderstorm builds behind an abandoned church near Leader, Sask., on July 10, 2018. The storm system spawned eight tornadoes that day.

WILD WEATHER | RUNNER-UP Jayden Daniels

Smoke from a nearby wildfire drifts over Banff, Alta., in July 2017 Back-to-back years of record-breaking fires in neighbouring British Columbia that choked the mountain parks with smoke have hurt some tourism operators.

ACTIVE OUTDOORS | WINNER Ferenc Cegledi

Ice climbers begin their ascent of the frozen Upper Falls of Johnston Creek in Banff National Park, Alta. With its sheer cliffs and cascading icicles, Johnston Canyon is a popular spot for winter climbing.

ACTIVE OUTDOORS | RUNNER-UP Windy Corduroy

A self-portrait of the photographer enjoying the peace of the forest on Mount Seymour in North Vancouver, B.C.

ICONIC LANDSCAPES | RUNNER-UP James Anderson

The vivid orange of autumn larch trees stands out against a pink sunrise at Wedge Pond in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country.

ICONIC LANDSCAPES | WINNER Evgeny Chertov

First light illuminates the fog on a perfectly still morning at Emerald Lake in British Columbia’s Yoho National Park.