Ottawa wildlife photographer earns gold at World Photographic Cup

Michelle Valberg's photo, showing a mother polar bear and her cub on volcanic rock in Greenland, won gold at the World Photographic Cup. (Courtesy: Michelle Valberg)

Michelle Valberg, a photographer from Ottawa, took home a gold medal in the wildlife category at this year’s World Photographic Cup in Iceland.

Valberg’s winning photo shows a mother polar bear and her cub standing on volcanic rock in Scoresby Sound in Greenland.

“They pause, noses lifted, catching the scent of another female who has wandered into their territory,” the World Photographic Cup’s website reads.

“The deep contrast between the bears’ white fur and the dark basalt creates a powerful visual tension, a story of survival, instinct, and tenderness unfolding against one of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth.”

The World Photographic Cup is an annual “Olympic-style” event in which teams of photographers represent their home country in the competition.

Valberg’s work also earned the “Best in Nation” award as Canada’s highest-scoring image of the competition.

“To represent Canada here means a great deal to me,” Valberg said in a statement. “That moment was real and quiet. A mother, her cub, and something just out of frame. You feel the awareness, the instinct. That’s what I look for.”

Valberg took home a gold medal at the World Photographic Cup in 2022 and was also named a Member of the Order of Canada that year.

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