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TORONTO — The Canadian Press/La Presse Canadienne is nominated for four National Newspaper Awards, including one for a photo of people giving former prime minister Justin Trudeau the finger while posing for a selfie.
CP freelance photographer David Lipnowski is nominated in the feature photo category for his shot of a trio making the rude gesture while standing in front of a smiling Trudeau at the Folklorama Festival in Winnipeg.
Lipnowski’s shot captures the group in profile, and although Trudeau’s gaze appeared fixed to the mobile device held up by one of the selfie-seekers, Lipnowski says there’s no indication he’s aware of the joke.
“He wouldn’t be smiling like that had he known they were giving him the finger,” Lipnowski said Tuesday, reached in Winnipeg.
“I think they were trying to be funny by asking for a picture, and then as soon as they went to take the photo, stuck their middle fingers up.”
Lipnowski said the assignment on Aug. 5, 2024 was otherwise “lacklustre,” with just five minutes of access to Trudeau while he shook hands and posed for selfies. The shot, which may have captured dwindling sentiment of the former prime minister at the time, is a good reminder “that interesting photos can come out of mundane events,” he added.
The leading news outlet among NNA finalists is the Globe and Mail, which garnered 16 nominations, followed by the Toronto Star with 15 and La Presse with 13.
Two more CP nominees are in the sports photo category, with Nathan Denette earning the nod for an image of Canada’s high-speed men’s Olympic pursuit team and Frank Gunn getting one for his Grey Cup photo of Toronto Argonauts receiver Dejon Brissett flipping in the air after being upended by Winnipeg’s Tyrell Ford.
Meanwhile, Patrice Bergeron of CP’s French-language service La Presse Canadienne is nominated for the John Wesley Dafoe Award for Politics for his work on Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government monetizing access to its ministers through fundraising cocktails.
The annual honours recognize achievements in print and digital journalism. Winners will be announced at a gala in Montreal on April 25.
A total of 83 journalists representing 22 publications are in the running.
Lipnowski is among the first-time finalists for his shot of Trudeau.
“It’s not something you see every day,” he said. “People with that kind of intention usually don’t get that close.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2025.
The Canadian Press
