Canada Wins Gold At World Photographic Cup

Canadian photographer wins a gold medal at the 9th annual World Photographic Cup awards held May 2nd in Rome, Italy.

After a two year wait Team Canada photographers finally attended the ceremony in person, and in addition to
nine Canadians in Rome many more gathered virtually to watch, cheer and celebrate their teammates’ success.

Michelle Valberg, from Ottawa ON, won gold in the nature category for her magical image of a Spirit Bear,
explaining “he pulled his head up and shook, sending droplets spiralling in a circular windmill around his head, he
looked at me for an instant and I felt a catch in my throat.”

“Winning a gold medal in Rome tonight was an incredible honour,” Michelle said. “Having my fellow Canadians
at my side, made it even more special. I am deeply touched, grateful and still in disbelief. Boss the Spirit Bear is
a rare and elusive species in Canada and I am proud to have the opportunity to photograph and showcase him
to the world.”

Points are awarded to each country based on the success of their photographers and the gold medal along with
two more top 10 finishes combined to earn Canada 7th place at the 2022 World Photographic Cup competition.

Also in the nature category, Deborah MacEwen, of Warman SK, earned 6th place for her stunning whale image
set against snow covered mountains. “There are no words to express how exciting it is to be in Rome Italy
representing our beautiful country. I am so very proud and humbled to have received 6th place on this World
Stage. It really seems like a dream and I don’t want to wake up,” exclaimed Deborah.

Louis-Philippe Provost, of Gatineau QC, earned an 8th place finish in the Commercial category with a black and
white architectural image, “this is great and I was very fortunate again this year to represent Canada at the
WPC,” said Provost, who also won a silver medal in 2021.

The WPC ceremony also honoured past medalists who missed out during the pandemic and Team Canada
cheered as Kristian Bogner (2020 Reportage Bronze) and Jacquie Matechuk (2021 Commercial Bronze) finally
crossed the stage and received their medals in front of a cheering crowd. Jacquie summed up the evening,
“tonight the bar was raised. Most obviously from having a fellow Canadian bring home a gold medal! But equally,
in the celebration, the camaraderie and pure joy that comes with being part of team Canada. We cheered,
laughed and cried as one. Success was something we all felt, and that is an experience I wish for all Team
Canada hopefuls.”

The World Photographic Cup (WPC) is a global team photography competition, with a singular goal to unite
photographers in a spirit of friendship and cooperation and the 2022 competition attracted entries from 35
nations. To view Team Canada’s 2022 submission, please visit: https://wpcteamcanada.com

Final 2022 Standings:

• Gold, Nature – Michelle Valberg, Ottawa ON
• 6th Place, Nature – Deborah MacEwen, Warman SK
• 8th Place, Commercial – Louis-Philippe Provost, Gatineau, QC

All photos are copyright of the photographer and World Photographic Cup Team Canada.
For information: Gerald David, Team Canada Co-Captain 403-816-9935 teamcaptain@wpcteamcanada.com