Cantigny Park announces photo contest winners

Cantigny Park visitors voted and the results are in for the Cantigny in Focus amateur photo contest.

The grand prize winners of the 2011 contest are:

Ÿ First place: Mary Brown, Clarendon Hills, for her eye-to-eye close-up of a plump American toad.

Ÿ Second place: Leslie Morrison, Glen Ellyn, for her image of a male Northern cardinal in the snow.

Ÿ Third place: Tom Brandseth, Wheaton, for his autumn photo depicting the fox hunt diorama at Cantigny Golf. (For a look at this picture, see Page 2.)

The winning shots were among 40 finalists chosen a year ago by a judging panel and displayed at the park throughout 2012. Visitors were invited to vote for their favorites. The top three receive a Cantigny gift card ($100, $75 or $50). All 40 finalists were awarded a Cantigny Park annual membership.

“We thank all those who participated and with their entries captured the extraordinary beauty and diversity of Cantigny,” said Matt LaFond, Cantigny Park executive director.

Cantigny in Focus is an annual event for amateur photographers that began in 2006. Submitted images must be from the grounds of Cantigny Park in Wheaton, the 500-acre former estate of Robert R. McCormick and part of the Chicago-based Robert R. McCormick Foundations.

On Feb. 7, the top 40 images from the 2012 edition of Cantigny in Focus will go on display at the park. The three grand prize winners again will be determined by the public, with voting conducted throughout 2013.

Cantigny Park is closed in January and will reopen on weekends in February from Friday to Sunday. The park returns to a seven-day schedule in March.

More information about Cantigny, including park hours, directions and details about upcoming events is online at Cantigny.org.