Bio
Jacquie Matechuk, based in Cochrane, Alberta, is an internationally acclaimed Canon Ambassador and award-winning wildlife photographer, recently honored as Nature Photographer of the Year and 2024 World Photographic Cup gold medalist. As a certified bear guide, presenter, and coach, she captures breathtaking, emotion-filled moments that give her subjects a true voice. Partnering with organizations like the Canadian Conservation Photographers Collective, Jane Goodall Institute, and Polar Bears International, Jacquie shares her deep respect for wildlife and their environments, inspiring creators worldwide to embrace their passion for life behind the lens.
“Being part of Team Canada for the World Photographic Cup is a rare and humbling experience. It’s a privilege to stand alongside such talented photographers, supported by the guidance of curators and the camaraderie of teammates who push us to bring our very best. This opportunity isn’t just about competition — it’s about growing together, celebrating each other’s unique perspectives, and representing our country with pride.”
2025 – Nature Wildlife
Image story to come…
2024 – Nature / Wildlife
World Top 10, Best of Nation - Gold Medal
“I’ll See You Through the Darkness” They are called ‘Ghosts of the Forest’, maneuvering with deafening silence. They twist and contort through fields of towering pines, breaking free at last to hunt. They remain elusive, artfully hiding in plain sight. This large frame veiled in perfect camouflage, erupts to life with a target detected. But this brief moment… this is ours and ours alone. I’ll see you through the darkness and always remember.
2024 – Sports
“Your Life is in Your Hands” Suspended on the edge of a towering slab of Utah sandstone, there is a test of strength that goes far beyond what you see. Beyond finger pulley tears and tendonitis, dislocated shoulders or severe abrasions. This athlete above all, must quiet the mental noise. With each breath, another choice. A moment of utter clarity required to move him forward, to keep him safe, and to achieve his goal. It is a race against time where your greatest enemy and only hope, is one in the same.
2023 – Reportage / Photojournalism
‘Connected’ In all her glory, Mother Nature paints this beautiful story of connectivity between us and this beautiful world we live in. Few animals have been as vital to the Pacific experience as salmon. From grizzly bears to orca whales, more than 130 different species depend on the marine-rich nutrients that these wild salmon provide. Here, we see the numbers are strong, their presence telling us this ecosystem is healthy. A Guardian glides slowly across the river and the surface erupts in a swarm of red sockeye and violent white water. They are only here to observe and protect, but we’re reminded how easily we affect the world around us.
2023 – Nature / Wildlife
‘The Tender Side’ Life of a bear in the wilderness is one locked in an endless struggle for survival. And a mother bear with a new cub, will work fiercely to keep her young one safe. But these bears are more than raw emotion. They are sentient beings with large personalities capable of compassion, humor, curiosity, devotion and even grief. And here, in moments like these, they are even tender. This connection builds trust between mom and cub will be the building block upon which this cub learns to communicate, socialize, survive and love.
2021 – Commercial
Word Top 10 - Bronze Medal
As our world fell hostage to the restraints of a global pandemic, an unwanted solitude and feeling of abandonment engulfed our everyday lives. Here, a once bustling downtown city center sat vacant of all signs of life. I stood alone, surrounded by these towering structures and felt their longing to be remembered; to be embraced.
2021 – Nature
An enthusiastic tussle between a lone eaglet and a pair of ravens ensued at the base of a nearby tree. I moved slowly to capture a clean line of sight when this magnificent creature flew into my peripheral. The massive wingspan unfolded and he shifted into his chair to assume a watchful position. His mere presence forced rapid resolve and he resumed a methodical scanning of the kingdom laid out before him.