Pictures of 2023: Some of the top moments our photographers captured this year

The Searson sisters bring Celtic music to a dancing crowd at Aqpik Jam, the annual music and cultural festival held again this year in August in Kuujjuaq. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

Numa Ottokie reels in the first of nine Arctic char he caught at the bottom of the waterfalls on Sylvia Grinnell River on Aug. 12. It was a crisp summer day with the temperature reaching 11 C. More than 50 people were out enjoying the park at around the same time Ottokie was there, with many fishing on the river and others picnicking further up on the rocks. (Photo by Jorge Antunes)

Ex-priest Eric Dejaeger leaves the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit in June. Dejaeger is facing eight historical charges of sexual assault. Previously, Dejaeger was convicted and jailed on more than 30 charges related to sexual abuse between 1974 and 1989. (Photo by Meral Jamal)

Anthony Kauki forcefully kicks the pads of his partner during his kickboxing training at the H2O MMA gym in Montreal last month. Kauki, who is from Kuujjuaq, says MMA fighting helped him work through his childhood trauma, in this photo from May. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

Firefighters extinguish a fire at a building that was under construction in Iqaluit on April 8. Fire Chief Stephen McGean called the blaze the biggest the city has seen in five years. (File photo by Jason Sudlovenick, special to Nunatsiaq News)

Two snowmobilers race neck-and-neck around a corner on Frobisher Bay during the 2023 Toonik Tyme festival. (File photo by David Venn)

In February, welder Dylan Zukiwsky, 20, works on a new sign for the Cambridge Bay RCMP detachment made from salvaged metal, as Brandon Kavanna, 21, works behind him on another section of the sign. They are among five young welders who work at the Red Fish Art Studio, a local art space and welding mentorship program that teaches participants the skills needed to pursue careers in the trades. (Photo by Madalyn Howitt)

Aloupa Watt of Team Nunavik attempts the triple jump at MacDonald Island Park at the Artic Winter Games in Wood Buffalo, Alta., in February. (Photo by Madalyn Howitt)

Sen. Dennis Patterson dances with Janet Armstrong during Nunavut Day celebrations in Iqaluit on July 9. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

U.S. President Joe Biden, left, is greeted by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon at the Ottawa Airport during his visit in March. Biden was in Ottawa for his first official visit since his 2021 inauguration. Simon, who is originally from Kuujjuaq, welcomed the president to Canada as part of her duties as head of state. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

Rhoda Ungalaq, centre, leads a group of people on an educational Arctic plant walk through sunny Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park in Iqaluit on a September afternoon. Ungalaq showed participants how to identify some of the many plants and berries found at the park, such as crowberries, saxifrage and Labrador tea, and shared how Inuit use them for different medicinal and culinary purposes. The plant walk was one of the park’s “Learn To…” events, a series of cultural activities hosted at Nunavut’s territorial parks in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Kugluktuk throughout the summer. (Photo by Madalyn Howitt)

Fire Chief Steve McGean, left, joins first responders Beay Sager and Casey Warren as they use the LUCAS CPR device on a practice dummy at the Iqaluit fire hall in this photo from September. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

The northern lights shimmer above the bay in Igloolik on Sept. 7. After some overcast skies during the day, the clouds parted and the lights appeared just after 10 p.m. (Photo by Madalyn Howitt)

NuBrewCo Brewers pitcher Liam Jardine gets ready to throw the ball hoping to beat runner Lodie Ipeelie of Canadrill, at far left, who is heading for home plate in Iqaluit in action on Aug. 29. Ipeelie scored on the play and Canadrill went on to win 24-19 in Game 3 of the semifinals in the ‘A’ division of Iqaluit’s Slo Pitch League. (Photo by David Lochead)