Dec. 31 Deadline Nears For Forest Preserve Photo Contest

If you haven't entered the Forest Preserve District of Will County's Preserve the Moment photo contest yet, you have only a few days left to submit your best shots before this year's contest wraps up on Dec. 31.

Getting outdoors is a great way to relieve some stress from the season's hustle and bustle and when armed with your camera, it also could be a way to offset the pain of all those holiday bills by winning some extra cash.

Each monthly finalist — as voted on by a panel of judges — will receive a $75 MasterCard gift card and advance into the final round of judging once the contest concludes. After December's top photo is chosen, eight monthly winners will compete for overall contest honors via a public vote on the District’s Facebook page, with the first-place winner receiving a $500 gift card; second place, $250; and third place, $150.

Three random drawings also will be held for all contest participants and those three winners will each receive a $75 MasterCard gift card. All who enter receive a participation gift.

There are plenty of opportunities to snap a photo of a variety of wildlife that are easier to spot now that most of the leaves have fallen, to find some cool fungus, or simply take in the scenery.

Even if you don't have anything from December, photos taken in a preserve since the contest started in April also can be submitted. Now is the time to go through your recent nature photos and enter a potential winner. Just be sure to enter by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31.

ENTER YOUR PHOTOS NOW

LOOKING FOR SOME ADDITIONAL INSPIRATION?

• The "Eagle Watch 2020" program doesn't begin until January, but bald eagles can routinely be spotted on open waters throughout the county, particularly at Rock Run Rookery Preserve in Joliet and near Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.
• Check out our Will County Wildlife Facebook Group to see what everyone else is spotting throughout the county in recent days.
• Take a scroll through our Instagram account and Flickr page.
• Take a hike and be sure to slow down and be quiet, because you never know what you'll sneak up on.

Participants may enter up to five digital photos per month. All photos must be uploaded via the District’s contest upload page. Be sure to fill out all of the required information, including the date and location the photo was taken.

Photos must be taken by amateur photographers age 18 or older, and they must be snapped in a Will County forest preserve during the contest period, which began on April 1. For instance, pictures taken at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, which is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, and Pilcher Park, which is a City of Joliet park, will not qualify for the contest.

For a list of all Forest Preserve locations, check out the District's preserve page and be sure to read the contest rules before entering. Entries not adhering to the rules will automatically be disqualified.

The Preserve the Moment photo contest is sponsored by The Nature Foundation of Will County.

For more information on the contest, visit the Forest Preserve District's website, ReconnectWithNature.org.