Chicago Botanic Garden
Photo copyright 2011 Chris Smith

©2011 Jennifer Fleener, spring contest Grand Prize winner

CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN

Special Events

Digital Photography Contests

Spring contest is April 23 – June 8, 2012
Winners announced June 15, 2012

VIEW CURRENT GALLERY OF ENTRIES

ENTER ONLINE

The gallery is updated every Tuesday at noon.

Due to a number of exciting Garden events this Saturday, June 2, our regular 9 a.m. free photo walk will NOT be held. We invite you to join us for the day as we celebrate World Environment Day, the opening of our new Grunsfeld Children's Growing Garden, and our new Butterflies & Blooms exhibition.

We hope you will return and join us July 7 in Annex 2 for our next photo walk. Free monthly photo walks are held as part of the Garden's seasonal Digital Photography Contests.

Show us your photos that best capture the magic of the Garden in winter!

Our digital photography contest will recognize two Grand Prize winners to win a Garden membership each, and a winner in each of five themed categories (to be determined).

Winners of our contest will have their photographs featured in downloadable wallpaper galleries on our website, seen by close to a million people each year, and may be featured in various Garden publications. The Grand Prize winners will each receive complimentary one-year memberships to the Chicago Botanic Garden.

A photo gallery will be updated each week during the contest, so that all visitors to our website will see contestants' work.

Questions? Contact or call (847) 835-6844.

How to Enter

1. Pick your very best photo taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
(For tips on picking your best photo, click here.) We are looking for technically proficient photos, with purposeful focus and exposure. Make sure you consider your composition!
2. Resize your photo.
Entries must be less than 2MB.
(For tips on how to resize your photo, click here.)
3. Name the file you are submitting with your first and last name.
Example: Jane Doe.jpg
(If the filename of your entry is not your name, we will not know who you are,
and your photo will not be included!)
4. Upload your photo using the online form.
Click here to enter your photo. You may only submit one photo to the contest. In the event multiple photos are submitted, only the first submission will be entered into the contest.
5. Look for your photo in the online gallery the Tuesday following your date of entry.
(The gallery is updated every Tuesday at noon.)
6. Become a fan of the Garden on Facebook or join our flickr group to share more of your beautiful garden photos.

RULES (FULL RULES AVAILABLE HERE)

  • One submission per person.
  • Accepting digital submissions only. No prints or slides accepted.
  • Open to all amateur photographers not employed by the Garden; the contest is closed to Garden staff and professional photographers.
  • Photographs will be judged by a team of judges selected by the Garden.
  • Photographers agree to let the Garden use both their photograph and their name on the Garden website and in Garden publications; however, names will not be public during the public voting period.
  • Photographs must be accompanied by a description of the photo including the date and Garden location.
  • Photographs must be taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022.
  • Photographs must be jpg format.
  • File size may not exceed 2MB.
  • No cash prizes—Grand Prize winners each receive a Garden membership.

Social Media and eNewsletter

Sign up for our eNewsletter to ensure you receive information about future photo contests with the Garden. To see more Garden images, visit our Flickr photo group.