Last Chance: Enter 'Preserve The Moment' Photo Contest At Forest Preserve District Of Will County

Press release from the Forest Preserve District of Will County:

If you're a procrastinator and haven't entered the Preserve the Moment photo contest yet, you have only a little bit longer to delay in submitting your best shots before this year's contest wraps up on December 31.

Getting outdoors is a great way to relieve some stress from a pandemic mixed in with the holiday season's usual hustle and bustle. Heading outdoors with your camera could also net you some serious cash.

Keep your fingers crossed for some snow, which is sure to bring some new photographic opportunities. Even without it, there are plenty of other ways to frame a perfect shot. From bald eagles soaring overhead, animals preparing for winter, or recently burned prairies, the preserves are filled with endless possibilities.

Even if you haven't taken any photos this month, photos you've taken in a preserve since the contest started May 1 are eligible.

Be sure to get your entries in by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31.

So far this year's monthly contest finalists are:

• May: A frog on a log at Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve.
• June: A widow skimmer posing at Hickory Creek Preserve.
• July: A perfect mirror image of the bridge at Lake Chaminwood Preserve.
• August: A praying mantis at Riverview Farmstead Preserve.
• September: A rare heron devouring a crawfish at Whalon Lake.
• October: A coyote cruising through the brush at McKinley Woods.
• November: A baby opossum nestled in the woods at Lower Rock Run.

Each monthly finalist — as voted on by a panel of judges — receives a $75 MasterCard gift card and advances into a final round of judging once the contest concludes on December 31.

All eight monthly finalists will compete for the top three overall contest spots as determined by 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.

Looking for inspiration?

• Check out our Will County Wildlife Facebook Group to see what everyone else is spotting throughout the county these days.
• Check out our various photo-driven social media accounts: Instagram, Today's Bird, Today's Bald Eagle and Wildlife of the Day.

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS NOW

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 categories, 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 May 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 be automatically disqualified.

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

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This press release was produced by the Forest Preserve District of Will County. The views expressed are the author's own.