“Siblings” wins PSA Nature Image of the Year Gold Medal

Submitted by Mike Wooding (2018)

Each year the Photographic Society of America (PSA) invites PSA members who have been awarded gold, silver or bronze medals in PSA recognized international competitions in Nature and/or Wildlife to submit their winning images to the PSA Nature Image of the Year competition. For 2018, 740 images were submitted from 175 entrants representing 51 countries.

The judges selected the best image from Nature and the best image from Wildlife and then selected the Image of the Year Gold medal recipient from these two images. Keep in mind that all 740 images submitted were medal winning images, so the competition was very tough. Entrants came from the USA (38); India (16); UK (13); Australia (12); Hong Kong (9); Germany (8); Belgium, China & Canada (each 7); Malaysia & Singapore (each 6); Macau (5); Finland, France, Indonesia, Norway & Taiwan (each 3); Austria, Italy, Israel, Myanmar,  Switzerland and UAE (each 2); and Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, Oman, Qatar, Romania,  Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Serbia, Slovenia , Sri Lanka and Turkey all had one entrant who submitted images. Three of the seven Canadian entrants are VCC members!

This year the winner of the PSA Image of the Year was the VCC’s own Leah Gray for her image entitled “Siblings” which shows two Grizzly bear cubs tussling. Leah has been competing on the international level since October 2017, and has chalked up over 400 acceptances in this short time including a number of medals in Nature, Wildlife, Open and Monochrome categories. This award, however, is huge….Leah’s image has been judged the best of the best in Nature for 2018. Congratulations, Leah…you make us all very proud!

This image also won Best in Show at the 2019 Lion’s Gate Celebration of Nature inter-club competition in B.C.