Winners announced for Lake County's #LetsSnap photo contest
Championing Lake County as a travel and tourism destination, supporting local communities, and creating experiences for the visitor and resident alike, Visit Lake County relished the idea of encouraging people to get outside and "snap" those stunning spaces, places, events, people and moments.
The shutterbugs did just that, and Visit Lake County is excited to share the winners of the #LetsSnapLakeCounty Photo Contest.
Participants were asked to showcase where they live, work, eat, play and shop in Lake County. The juried panel was led by Jonathan Jones, content manager for the official destination marketing organization and the team at the Gurnee-based organization.
"Seeing the bigger picture of Lake County through the lenses of residents and visitors provides a unique and authentic experience for the prospective traveler. There are so many incredible stories captured in these snapshots," Jones said.
"Part of our work is to connect people with communities, things to do, nature and more; this does all that with creativity."
The contest completed its second installment with more than 300 entries, running from mid-September to Halloween, open to all skill levels and residency. The entries were engaging, vibrant, and an interactive way to extend experiences through the emotion, interest and perspective of those doing it.
Prizes were awarded in six categories, with gift cards and bragging rights going to the winners.
In the Grand Prize category, Chadwick Miller won for "Hastings Lake Forest Preserve" in Lake Villa. Anthony Stoll won the Lake County Event category with "Cruise Night," and Ashley Grauer for Dining and Libations with "Lindy's Landing Restaurant and Marina," both in Wauconda.
Amy Koutsianelos took the prize for "Family and People" at Bowen Park in Waukegan, and Erika Hoffmann for "Outdoor" at Fort Sheridan in Highland Park.
Honorable mentions went to several, including Casey Mclaughlin with a Halloween theme in Barrington, Kelly Kordys at Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve in Deer Park, Karen Chin with scenes in Vernon Hills, Jessica Ceisel at the Wadsworth Canoe Launch along the Des Plaines River, Juliet Snyder at Didier Farms in Lincolnshire, Gopiganesh Chandra Sekaran for Waukegan Regional Airport's Northern Illinois Air Show, Matt Arauz at Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area in Riverwoods, Dan Eccles with scenes in Round Lake Beach, JPK Media of Our Kind Kitchen pumpkin spice cupcakes in Wauconda, Nancy Tonkin at Bowen Park in Waukegan and Kate Halat at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda.
To learn more about the #LetsSnapLake County Photo Contest, including winning photos, read the featured blog at visitlakecounty.org. Follow Visit Lake County on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
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