Each year, the Gleaner holds an Images of Creation photo contest. This gallery includes the 2026 winners for the online Photo of the Week.
Short-eared owl focusing on me
Credit: Guy Larson
These sea lions were enjoying each other's company in the sunshine.
Credit: Karen Carlton
A beautiful finch sitting above my driveway.
Credit: Nathanael Martin
The 40-minute path of the night sky as it streaks over Mt. Rainier.
Credit: Tobin Kearns
Rain-drenched
Credit: Lynne McClure
A pika standing watch
Credit: Judson Knoll
Red-tailed hawk beautifully lit by the late afternoon sunset.
Credit: Guy Larson
Preening.
Credit: Roger Windemuth
Winter morning at the Alvord Desert with a frozen lakebed.
Credit: Mary Lane Anderson
A little red squirrel on the Oregon Coast.
Credit: John Dale
A female bighorn sheep nibbles on beargrass.
Credit: Angela Schwab
Springtime hummingbird.
Credit: Nathanael Martin
Full moon setting over mountains west of Gardiner, MT.
Credit: Keith Kerbs
Tucked in.
Credit: Lynne McClure
Hanging on.
Credit: Lynne McClure
The rugged coastline of the Olympic Peninsula.
Credit: Tobin Kearns
Kinglets can have some of the most stunning crowns. The matching fall leaves gave a fun richness to the shot.
Credit: Paul Pantorilla
Oh! Hello...
Credit: Renee McKey
"Just one more nut..."
Credit: Xander Krause
Ribbit!
Credit: Lynne McClure
Siblings playing.
Credit: Wayne Ferch
We were enjoying a picnic lunch with friends on the grounds of the Pittock Mansion. The flowers were just amazing. This was my first time photographing a hummingbird in flight!"
Credit: Linda McCann
Strong evening light on sand dunes sculpted by high winds.
Credit: Mary Lane Anderson
Small waterfall.
Credit: Veronica Skelton
Sweet nectar.
Credit: Lynne McClure
Haystack Rock at sunset after a rainstorm.
Credit: Jesse Nehring
Harbor seal in Depoe Bay.
Credit: Keith Kerbs
Breakfast.
Credit: Lynne McClure
Hoverflies are often mistaken for bees due to their similar striped abdomens, but don't worry, these flies cannot sting as bees do. If you see what you think is a bee hovering over a flower then darting quickly to another, it is most likely a fly. Look closely at the eyes or antennae. Fly eyes take up most of the head, while bee eyes are placed on the side of the head. Additionally, fly antennae are short and stubby, while bees have long antennae. This Syrphid fly (Sphaerophoria) is sipping nectar from an Arrowleaf Balsamroot bloom.
"Nature is to be found in her entirety nowhere more than in her smallest creatures." — Pliny the Elder
Credit: Renee McKey
Brilliant September sunrise on Big Lake.
Credit: Mary Lane Anderson
Beauty of small things.
Credit: Renee McKey
Fall beauty.
Credit: Lynne McClure
A Bald Eagle landing on a tree with a fish in its talons.
Credit: Judson Knoll
The jagged peak pierces a sea of drifting clouds, revealed and concealed in the same breath.
Credit: Victor Carreiro
A Yellow-headed Blackbird in flight.
Credit: Judson Knoll
A female blackbird balances on a cattail, beak full of grass, crafting the quiet promise of home.
Credit: Angela Schwab
The Milky Way over Mt. Saint Helens as the distant city lights illuminate the horizon.
Credit: Tobin Kearns
Male Northern Shoveler in all his glory!
Credit: Keith Kerbs
Asian beauty.
Credit: Roger Windemuth
So many trees, so little time.
Credit: Xander Krause
This enormous bull is part of a large resident herd of elk in North Bend.
Credit: Gary Hamburgh
A Hooded Merganser floats in a pond in downtown Eugene, Oregon, with fall colors reflecting around it.
Credit: William Frohne
Blue hour glow on Mount Hood shot from timberline area.
Credit: William Frohne
Frosty morning.
Credit: Renee McKey
A baby Mountain Goat prances through the snow high in the North Cascades.
Credit: William Frohne
An early December sunrise up Lewis Peak.
Credit: Michael Lopez
Drops.
Credit: Lynne McClure
A long exposure of a cloud inversion below Washington's Glacier Peak...
Credit: William Frohne
Mount Adams rises above the clouds at sunrise behind Mount Hood.
Credit: William Frohne
Gambell, Alaska, is known for its winds—even in the frozen days of winter. Yet, when the sun shines, the surface of the ice melts, leaving long icy legs and club-foot boots beneath the shipwrecked icebergs.
Credit: Richard Duerksen
Sub-zero days in Great Falls mean parts of the Missouri River will be frozen, and I might see ducks closer to shore. On this particular day, I spent at least an hour watching a family of eagles with offspring from three different seasons devouring a mallard duck, with the occasional raven or a handful of magpies creeping in for scraps. This is a third-year offspring coming in for his share.
Credit: Renee McKey
Credit: Michael Lopez