Fall trees and clearing at sunset near Lake of Two Rivers in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada. (Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock) Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock

The Great Canadian Photo Contest: September’s winners

See September’s finalists from Maclean’s photography contest, and check out your October assignment: ’Fall colours’

By Maclean’s

October 6, 2017

Add as preferred on Google(opens in a new tab)

At 150, Canada merits the best possible photo album, and Maclean’s wants to capture the country in all its cultural and geographic glory. For each month of 2017, we’ll ask readers to submit photos based on a particular theme. We’ll publish the winning photos in our weekly tablet edition, and online every month. At the end of the year, a gallery show will exhibit all the winning work, and we will announce the single best photo of the year. You take the photos, and we’ll provide a national frame!

For our September photo contest, we asked photographers to capture the best of the Canadian sky. Here are the top 10 submissions, including the readers’ choice photo, which was voted the most popular on Facebook, and the editor’s choice photo, which we at Maclean’s were most excited about.

READERS’ CHOICE: Photograph by Shawna Holmes

I took this photo of my boyfriend Jason and our young Silver Labrador Colt on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 at the Hilliardton Marsh, 15 minutes outside of our hometown of Englehart, Ontario. It was early season and a very special hunt as it was my first time waterfowl hunting and Colt made his first retrieve. This photo was captured around 6:30pm from the back of the canoe which we had hidden amongst the tall water reeds on a bed of floating islands.

EDITOR’S CHOICE: PHOTOGRAPH BY Kira Cherneski

This was taken in New Sarepta, Alberta at the annual Demolition Derby on September 10th. Just taken with my Canon Rebel as I sat on the sidelines with my husband and some of our friends. It’s a really fun event that brings a lot of the community together!

Your October assignment: Fall coloursMacintosh-red, duotang-bright, or the blackness of burnt pumpkin seeds at the bottom of the pan: October awaits like a colouring book. Thanksgiving might swirl in yellow and browns as you dress the Thanksgiving salad or dress a scarecrow. Costumes might bear bloody colours or fairy tale colours, or in the case of ghosts, the absence of all.

This Alberta photographer captures ’wild skaters’ against breathtaking backdrops

These skaters await the perfect confluence of conditions, like surfers seeking the ultimate wave. Paul Zizka’s photos lay bare the ethereal magic of skating on Alberta’s lakes, surrounded by nature.

Yves Giroux & Caroline Maynard in conversation with Paul Wells: Maclean’s Live Replay

Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer and Information Commissioner sat down for a conversation with senior writer Paul Wells on June 3

Octobre : Couleurs automnalesUne pomme McIntosh d’un rouge appétissant...Le cartable neuf vert fluo d’un écolier... Des graines de citrouilles noircies restées au fond d’une casserole... Octobre s’offre à vous comme un album illustré aux vives couleurs. L’Action de grâce pourra ajouter à votre palette des jaunes et des bruns, si vous préparez une salade pour les festivités ou habillez un épouvantail. Avec l’Halloween et ses costumes bariolés, ce sont des couleurs de film d’horreur ou de conte de fées qui surgiront. À moins que ce ne soit, dans le cas de fantômes, d’une absence de couleur!

The next assignments will appear on macleans.ca on the first of each month. Readers can also find the assignments by following Maclean’s on Instagram or Twitter, or liking our Facebook page. The assignment will appear in the first tablet edition of the month, as well as in the monthly print issue.

Judging

The Maclean’s photo department will narrow down the submissions to 10 finalists each month. From there, one photographer will win the editor’s choice award. Another photographer will win the readers’ choice award. Readers will vote online by liking a photo on Facebook.

Prizes

Each month, cash prizes will be awarded to the editor’s choice and readers’ choice winners. The winning photos will be published in the tablet edition of Maclean’s. At the end of the year, Maclean’s will exhibit all the winning photos in a gallery show and invite the photographers to attend.

How to submitClick here for more on how to submit your photos.

Photographers, good luck—and Canada, smile!

Contest closes December 31, 2017 at 11:59 pm ET. Open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec), over age of majority. Contest consists of 12 individual monthly entry periods. Two winners will be determined per monthly entry period, based on the application of judging criteria and a public voting process. Each prize consists of $250. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received per monthly entry period, on the application of judging criteria, and on the number of eligible votes received by each entry that is short-listed by the judges. Math question must be correctly answered to win. Details and full contest rules available at macleans.ca/photo-contest-rules

Tags: