Living Lakes Canada holding national photo contest

Photo: Colin Dacre

Living Lakes Canada has announced the return of its popular Lake Biodiversity Photo Challenge for 2023.

The contest, now in its third year, aims to highlight the beauty of Canada's lakes and raise awareness about threats to their biodiversity.

The contest runs until July 31, and lake enthusiasts from across the country are invited to submit their favourite lake photos either through an online form at lakeblitzphoto.livinglakescanada.ca or by tagging their photos with #LakeBlitzPhoto2023 on social media. Entries must include the name and location of the lake, the category of choice, and appear as posts rather than stories.

Participants can choose from four categories: Land Landscapes, Lake Biodiversity, Lake Impacts, and a Kids category for young photographers aged 12 and under. All submitted photos will be displayed in the 2023 online gallery, and a selection will be shared on Living Lakes Canada's social media channels each week.

The contest allows up to one entry per day, and photos must have been taken within the last 12 months.

In August, a Judges' Favourite and a Public Favourite will be chosen in each category, with a total of eight winners receiving age-appropriate prizes from gift sponsors such as LUSH Cosmetics, Kicking Horse Coffee, Earth Rangers, Float-EH, Teadore, and Laykhaus.

The contest is made possible by RBC's Tech for Nature program.

The photo challenge is a companion event to the National Lake Blitz, an annual citizen science lake-monitoring initiative by Living Lakes Canada. The organization provides volunteers with monitoring kits, training, and resources to monitor their favourite lakes from May to September. Registration for Lake Blitz volunteers has been extended to May 8. For more information, visit lakeblitz.livinglakescanada.ca.