World Photographic Cup / Best of Nation Award
Nations from around the globe participate in the World Photographic Cup, an international competition in which a team of photographers represent their home country. For Team Canada, the extensive process began last summer, when submissions came in from coast to coast, vying for only 3 precious spots in each of the eight categories. The final 24 images went on to represent Canada at the 2023 World Photographic Cup.
Since 2018, the World Photographic Cup awards the Best of Nation Award to the photographer of the highest scoring image from each of the participating countries. “The amazing images of our Best of Nation award winners show the outstanding standard of our competition and the immense talent of the professional photographers around the world”, said Giuseppe Scozzi, WPC, CEO.
“When I heard the announcement for Best of Nation, I felt a flood of emotions, pride, success, and accomplishment. To be part of Team Canada, experiencing the camaraderie from an elite group of Canadian photographers who welcomed me onto this world stage-I feel honoured to be recognized for my art!”
2023 Best of Nation / Jo-Anne Oucharek
Jo-Anne Oucharek is a nature & wildlife photographer who believes when wildlife allows you to be part of their natural world, it is truly a gift. A big part of her journey is connecting with like-minded photographers who believe that nature comes first.
The brown bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska have some mad fishing skills. Only the dominant bears fish at the top of the falls, and this mama bear was fierce. Not only did she hold this prime spot, but she was also teaching her cub fishing techniques. Waiting and watching for 8 hours, action continually happening all around us, my patience and focus paid off, capturing this iconic moment. This image called “The Catch” was literally one of the last images on this day in Brooks Falls.
