Congratulations to the Winners of Our Backyard Biologist Photo Contest!

The wait is over: We’re ready to announce the winners of our Backyard Biologist Photo Contest!

We asked Earth Rangers all across Canada to take stunning snapshots of the natural world for a chance to win a brand-spanking-new Rebel R1 camera from Canon–and wow, did you all deliver!

Hundreds of you submitted your best photos in three categories: Backyard Safari, Critter Closeups, and Winter Worlds. It was a tough decision, but after lots of deliberation, we’re happy to share the winners in each category! Now, we’re sitting down to interview these budding wildlife photographers about how they took their photos, and why they love nature!

Enjoy the beautiful photos, and don’t forget to accept the Backyard Biologist mission in the Earth Rangers app! You’ll learn about the importance of citizen science, look for interesting plants and animals in your community, and figure out how to identify your finds!

Backyard Safari: Isabelle, 8, Nova Scotia

After practicing for the other two photos with my mom’s phone, she helped me set up her camera on a tripod in our yard. We set up a bird feeder and had our very first visitor, a chickadee!

I used a long lens for taking the photo. I liked using the bigger camera because it had a bigger reach and better focus, but it was hard to hold it up but it was worth it. We had lots of fun taking photos and we liked that the chickadee landed in the trees.

I like the black cap on the black capped chickadee and the black stripe on the back of its neck. I would like to take more photos of the black capped chickadee and other species.

Critter Closeups: Aleena, 13

During my nature walk, I spotted a bee-like insect called a syrphus. In this photo, you can see the insect with open wings inside a yellow daisy feeding on pollen.

I think this photo deserves to win because in this close up you can see even the smallest details like the fur of the insect. I also admire the symmetry of this insects from the closest pattern on its body.

This photo captures the beauty of nature despite its small size and its ability to persevere to get food for itself even in this cold weather.

Winter Worlds: Annika, 7

My picture is of ice crystals on a twig we saw on the ground in our yard.

Ice crystals form very pretty shapes and I really like how pretty it is. It is one of my favourite winter pictures.

Ice is cool.

The Backyard Biologist Photo Contest is generously supported by: