Beat Boredom with Forest Preserve’s Stay-At-Home Backyard Nature Photo Contest

While sheltering safely close to home during the new coronavirus pandemic, snap some photos of flora and fauna and enter the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Stay-At-Home Backyard Nature Photo Contest.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County has launched a special Stay-At-Home Backyard Nature Photo Contest to provide some boredom relief for people sheltering at home during the new coronavirus pandemic.

Any photos of nature taken in your backyard since the governor’s stay-at-home order went into effect March 21 will be eligible. Be on the lookout for animals, signs of spring, a swath of trees, a budding plant or a tiny creature emerging from winter’s grasp. Pictures of your pets (as cute as they are) aren’t eligible for the contest, but backyard bird feeder action can be entered. Any camera will do, from DSLRs to smart phones. Photos must be taken in your yard or neighborhood between Saturday, March 21, and Tuesday, April 7, which is the current duration of the state’s stay-at-home mandate. That could change, so the contest deadline could change too.

Participants have the chance to win gift cards valued at $100, $50 and $25 for first, second and third place finishes, respectively. Here are the basic rules:

Contestants must be amateur photographers 18 years old or older and Will County residents.
Photos must be submitted online via the upload tool in a digital format at reconnectwithnature.org/stay-at-home-backyard-photo-contest-submission.
Only five entries per contestant will be allowed for this contest.
Minor digital enhancements are permitted.

Before submitting photos for consideration, please read all the rules at reconnectwithnature.org/stay-at-home-backyard-photo-contest-rules. A panel of judges will select its favorite photos from the submissions. These photos will then be entered into the final judging, which will take place on the Forest Preserve’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/WillCoForests, where public voting will determine the top three pictures.

The Forest Preserve’s annual Preserve the Moment Photo Contest, which had been scheduled to begin April 1, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and it will be rescheduled at a later date. Closure and cancellation updates are being posted online at ReconnectWithNature.org under the Current Headlines section in News and Events.