The 2025 Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition Grand Prize Announced!
Congratulations to Javier Arcenillas for his essay The Silent Death Mine and to Niklas Virsen for his essay Arctic Fox.
The competition's goal is to showcase the best in mountain-themed photo essays – to recognize outstanding stories told through a series of still images. We invite photographers to submit photos to illustrate their mountain related stories whether culture, adventure, wildlife, sport, environment, or natural history. The jury seeks a sequence of technically and aesthetically striking images that conveys a compelling story or message – with each image strong enough to stand on its own while conveying a greater narrative when viewed in the photographer’s desired sequence.
We welcomed submissions of professional quality images from amateur and professional photographers.
Entry Guidelines
- Submit three (3) to five (5) images which tell a story (maximum 2MB)
- Please include a short description of the photo essay.
- ENTRY DEADLINE: was May 5, 2025. Stay tuned for details on the 2026 competition!
- $3000 CAD Grand Prize
2025 Rules and Regulations (For reference only)
For questions please contact banffmountainphotos@banffcentre.ca.
Selection Process
- All entries will be viewed by a selection committee chaired by the Director of Mountain Culture
- Finalists chosen by this committee are viewed by an international jury
- The Grand Prize winner is announced in August, with the award presented during the Festival in Banff in November.
2025 Grand Prize: Javier Arcenillas - The Silent Death Mine
2025 Special Jury Mention: Niklas Virsen - Arctic Fox
2025 Photo Essay Competition Jury
Irene Yee
Irene is a professional West Coast-based rock climbing and adventure photographer. She started rock climbing out of pure joy, picked up a camera soon after, and continued that journey on her Instagram @ladylockoff. Her focus is to uplift women, BIPOC, and the LGBTQIA2S+ communities, choosing to highlight those pushing their own personal limits and finding inspiration in those with passion over muscle. She is internationally published, a @natgeoadventure contributor, and works with today's largest outdoor brands and non-profits.
Hamish Frost
Hamish is an adventure and mountain sports photographer based in Scotland. He thrives in cold, wet and challenging conditions, capturing images of athletes pushing their limits in mountain environments. Adopting a fast and light approach to his photography, Hamish takes pride in his ability to move around the mountains quickly, keeping pace with his subjects whilst documenting the stories behind their endeavours. His work has a firm footing in authentic narrative and storytelling, whilst being strongly brand focused.
Mason Mashon
Mason Mashon started his career in front of the lens as a mountain biker at a young age. After competing in the coveted Pro Photographer Showdown in 2010, he officially launched his career as a photographer. He has since traveled the world pursuing some of the world’s most talented athletes and working with some of the biggest brands in the outdoor industry. His passion for action sports continues, and he still devotes his life to pursuing a long bucket list of adventures.
In Partnership With
