Image Editing Nights – Jan. 2026 – Special Guest Editor

Darlene Hildebrandt – Luminar Ambassador

In this don’t-miss session, Darlene will tell you why she has incorporated Luminar Neo as a plugin for Lightroom and Photoshop and how she uses it in her workflow. You’ll see why she finds some of the tools indispensable and how Luminar Neo can speed up your photo editing workflow and take your images to a new level.


It can also be used as a stand-alone editor so if you’re considering switching from Adobe, you’re new to photo editing, or you’re just curious about Luminar Neo; you will see it in action. Luminar Neo does many things that you cannot do with Lightroom and it’s faster and easier than using Photoshop (which has a steep learning curve, especially for beginners).

Darlene will show you how to make photo editing fun and you’ll see the power of Luminar Neo for portraits, landscapes, street photography, and more. Come and see for yourself.

Link to Description page of the Image Editing Night.

New Westminster Photography Club – Jan. 2026 – Upcoming Event

Public Exhibition: The Art of Seeing Small runs Feb 1 to March 26, 2026

Members of the New Westminster Photography Club are working on submissions for a two month exhibition at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster, BC.

Five or so members will be presented a range of photographs within the theme of The Art of Seeing Small. The exhibition will hang in the gallery space, adjacent to the Auditorium.

More info by clicking here

New Westminster Photography Club – Jan. 2026 – Upcoming Presentations

 

Tickets for non-New Westminster Photography Club members are $5 and the links are all listed in the information below.

Jan. 6, 7pm – Zoom

Members talk about and show their edition processes for Black and White Photos.

Non-members are welcome to attend, will be listed on Eventbrite, but contact Peter, our Programs Director for any questions.

More info by clicking here

Jan. 20, 7pm – In Person

Glenn Marcus, a frequent traveler, talk about the Art of Travel Photography. He will discuss his approach to the planning and taking of travel photos.

Non-members are welcome to attend, contact Peter, our Programs Director for any questions.

More info by clicking here

Dec. 2025 Judging Program News

Basic Training for New Judges Update

Introduction to Judging Course: Since launching just one month ago, the Introduction to Judging Course has seen strong interest, with over ninety photographers registering for either the English or French version. Sixteen participants have already completed the course. We’re pleased to see engagement from across Canada—including the Northwest Territories.

As with any new offering, we encountered a few minor growing pains. For those who experienced registration challenges, thank you for your patience as we worked to get everything running smoothly. Over the coming months, we’ll continue refining the course to ensure the best possible learning experience.

For more information or to register, visit the CAPA Learning Centre at https://www.capacanada.online/

Judging Practice Workshop: Development of the Judging Practice Workshop is nearing completion. Dates for upcoming workshops will be announced in January. These online workshops will run in both the Central and Eastern time zones, to accommodate participants from across the country.

Judge Certification Program

Congratulations to Joy Ruffeski who recently completed the Judge Certification Program and qualified as a CAPA Certified Judge.

Changes designed to improve the training experience are coming to the Judges Certification Program. Details will be announced early in 2026.

National Judges List

The current National Judges List was issued the beginning of December; the next update will be in early March 2026. All CAPA Clubs have online access to the latest list of CAPA Certified Judges and CAPA Apprentice Judges. Go to the CAPA website, Members > National Judges List. You must be logged in to your club’s account to download the list.

If you have questions or would like further information, please contact the Director of the Judging Program at judgingdirector@capacanada.ca.

North Shore Photographic Society – Jan. 2026 – Upcoming Event

Save the Date! The North Shore Photographic Society presents the 41st North Shore Challenge on Zoom on Saturday, March 7, 2026, @ 7 pm Pacific.

Interested in discovering stunning photography? Each year, between 250 and 300 talented photographers from BC and Yukon eagerly submit their best work to a special competition called the North Shore Challenge, organized by the North Shore Photographic Society (NSPS). The North Shore Challenge is considered one of Western Canada’s top photographic competitions and has a long, respected history dating back over 40 years.

The North Shore Challenge features two exciting parts: individual submissions and club submissions. This year, a panel of six friendly judges will carefully evaluate all the amazing images in a single judging session. To keep things fair and enjoyable, the highest and lowest scores will be set aside, so each image is scored based on the remaining four scores.

The top-scoring image from each individual, along with club-submitted images, will be showcased on March 7th, 2026. The results will be announced during this exciting, live, online event.

In the first half of the show, you’ll be treated to top images from individual photographers. The results and the Bronze, Silver, and Gold medallists will all be revealed at that time. Following the presentation of the images, a unique portion of the North Shore Challenge will occur. Each of the six judges will comment on the winning and other favorite images, adding a truly personal touch to the experience.

In the second half of the show, all the remarkable club-submitted images will be displayed, and the results and Bronze, Silver, and Gold medallists will be announced. Following the showcase of club-submitted images, each of the six judges will provide comments on the winning and other favourite images.

The event wraps up with the presentation of the North Shore Challenge trophy to the winning photography club and the Best in Show announcement for the top-scoring image (either by an individual or from a club-submitted image).

Submission deadline for images is Sunday, January 18, 2026, @ midnight. All submissions include a ticket to the online Zoom session.

Even if you don’t plan to submit images for the North Shore Challenge, plan on attending the showcase on March 7, 2026. Showcase tickets are available until noon on March 7.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 7th, 2026, and join us live for this inspiring celebration of photography. Tickets and details are available on the NSPS website (nsps.ca) under the North Shore Challenge 2026 tab.

The fee is $10 CAD

You can have more info by clicking here.

Dec. 2025 Competition Updates

Competition Clarification

Updated: CAPA Eligibility Criteria

To address enquires about using AI-generative systems to preforming photo post processes, we have updated our Eligibility Criteria to include the following provisions:

Post-Processing

All editing, manipulation, and post-processing of the image must be performed personally by the entrant. This work cannot be delegated to or performed by any other person(s) or AI-generative system.

Updated: Photographing Homeless Individuals

Our competitions now allow images of people experiencing homelessness, infirmity, or crisis, in line with common international photojournalism and documentary standards. 

Such subjects are acceptable only when photographed responsibly and ethically, with respect for consent, dignity, privacy, and safety, especially for vulnerable individuals. 

We encourage photographers to address social issues in creative ways that do not exploit personal suffering and to approach any such imagery with empathy, respect, and care.

Our Competition Q&A webpage has been updated to reflect the policy revision.

Effective January 1, 2026 – Updated Competition Editing Criteria 

CRITICAL- All photographers review these provisions prior to submitting images into all our 2026 photo competitions.   You can view these updated provisions by clicking here

2025 Nature/Wildlife Competition

2025 Monochrome Competition

New 2026 Competitions Now Open

World Photographic Cup Team Canada 2026

It is with immense pride that we announce the photographers whose images will represent Canada in the 2026 World Photographic Cup – an Olympic-style global competition.

Congratulations to the following photographers, including some CAPA members, for being part of the official submission:

Commercial: Wayne Fisher ON, Thomas Hopkins AB, Gary Stasiuk BC

Illustration/Digital Art: Andrew Hiorth ON, Bob Friesen BC, Anita Teljeur BC 

Nature Landscape: Steve Pelton BC, Bernard Brault QC, Jacqueline Harbidge AB 

Nature Wildlife: Jacquie Matechuk AB, Michelle Valberg ON, Jérémie Leblond-Fontaine QC Portrait Illustrative: Manpreet Sokhi BC, Andrew Hiorth ON, Karen Ceraldi BC 

Portrait Natural: Railene Hooper AB, Alexander Sviridov ON, Andrew Hiorth ON 

Reportage/Photojournalism: Geoff Gabriel ON, Bernard Brault QC, Kristian Bogner AB 

Sports: Lee Milliken BC, Nick Didlick BC, Dave Holland AB 

Wedding Open: Madi Rabih QC, Andrew Hiorth ON, Sean LeBlanc AB 

Wedding Reportage: Madi Rabih QC, Lee Milliken BC, Steve Edgerton AB 

Each photographer’s work endured three rounds of curation to earn a place on Team Canada. From all corners of the country these photographers collectively embody a wide spectrum of styles, techniques, and vibrant creativity.

Canada’s images can be viewed here: www.wpcteamcanada.com

Rae McLeod awarded MCAPA

Rae McLeod has been a CAPA member since 2010 and a member of the Saskatoon Photography Club since 2016.  

He has enjoyed medals and honour awards in many competitions since 2021.

He joins in many club activities and supports the club in many ways and is always helpful to other members of the club, whether it is technical or just providing an image critique.  He has held the role of club treasurer since 2024 and has enjoyed the  involvement of being on the executive board.

He, in conjunction with a fellow club member has put on a speed lite flash clinic to help members with this much misunderstood piece of equipment.    He has also hosted a couple of learning sessions in his home to help people become more familiar with the dynamics of strobe lighting for portraits.

It is with great pleasure to award Rae with the Maple Leaf Honours Distinction.

Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work for CAPA.

Sincerely

Lorna Scott, FCAPA

Chair of Honours Committee

Canadian Association for Photographic Art.