Photographer Michelle Valberg was already in Norway for her next assignment when it was announced that she’d received one of Canada’s top honours.

On June 29, 2022, the Canadian Geographic photographer-in-residence was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her contributions both as a photographer and philanthropist, as well as for her work raising awareness of the beauty and fragility of Canada’s North.

For more than 35 years, Valberg, who is also a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, has been telling stories with her camera. Though she travels around the world, she has focused, in particular, on the wildlife and landscapes of the Canadian Arctic. 

Her work has appeared on magazine covers, in numerous exhibitions and embassies worldwide, and has been showcased in a solo exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Her iconic image of Inuit drum dancer Mathew Nuqingaq is on a coin produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, while a number of her wildlife images have appeared on Canadian stamps.

Just last year, Valberg bested more than 3,000 entries from around the world to win the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers. The competition judges lauded Valberg as “a rare combination of dazzling talent and dedicated service.”