One of the 2020 photo contest winners, taken at Oak Forest Heritage Preserve. (Credit: Sharon Dobben)

People have flocked to the Cook County Forest Preserves in record numbers over the past two years and it’s a pretty safe bet a lot of them captured a moment or two on camera.

Now it’s time to dig those images of flowers, birds and trees out of the iCloud and enter them in the forest preserve district’s annual photo contest.

Thirteen winners will be chosen by a judging panel, along with 24 runners-up. The pictures will be featured in the district’s 2022 calendar, its Forest Way newsletter, on social media accounts and the forest preserves website.

Here’s how to enter: Submit up to five photos via email to [email protected] by Sept. 15. Images should be cropped horizontally, and they must have been taken in a Cook County Forest Preserve, Brookfield Zoo or the Chicago Botanic Garden. Include caption information with the specific forest preserve location and identify any plants or wildlife if possible.

Complete contest details, including photo format requirements, are posted online. Winners and runners-up will be notified by Sept. 25.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]