Daily Herald photo contest winners for August 2026

Posted September 17, 2026 8:59 am

Daily Herald report

The top finishers in August’s amateur photo contest showcase landscapes from desert ranges to a glacier ice field.

Taking the top spot is Lynne Solway’s playful photo of her grandson during a trip to the Athabaska Glacier in Alberta, Canada. The Buffalo Grove resident writes, “Legend has it that if you drink water from the glacier, you will look 10 years younger. My grandson decided to test that legend, even knowing that if it came to fruition he would look like he was 4 years old!”

FIRST PLACE: Lynne Solway’s grandson tries to drink water from a glacier during a recent trip to Alberta, Canada. (Lynne Solway of Buffalo Grove)

In second place is Robert Warren’s rich atmospheric photo of a broken-down truck in the desert. The Elgin resident writes, “Dark clouds and an old abandoned truck add to the rugged beauty in Lees Ferry in northern Arizona. Just a cool place to hike and sightsee.”

SECOND PLACE: A truck sits rusting near the Paria River Trail at Lees Ferry in Northern Arizona. (Robert Warren of Elgin)

Kaitlyn Szymonik’s vibrant photo of a female common green darner dragonfly in her butterfly garden takes third place this month. The Glen Ellyn resident writes, “I really love this image because you can see all of the details of the wings and eyes, and I like how it blends in so well, but it still stands out.”

THIRD PLACE: A common green darner dragonfly perches atop a plant in a butterfly garden. (Kaitlyn Szymonik of Glen Ellyn)

Rounding out this month’s entries is a colorful sunset photo that Ken Simpson of Arlington Heights took during a visit to the Chisos Mountains Lodge.

FOURTH PLACE: A sunset seen through “The Window,” a V-shaped gap in the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park, Texas. (Ken Simpson of Arlington Heights)

Contest rules

The Daily Herald invites readers to submit their own photos to our “Your Images” amateur photo contest.

Once a month, we showcase entries that feature one first-place winner and three runners-up. The contest is open to everyone in the Daily Herald readership area.

• To submit a photo of your own for consideration, email it in .jpg format at the highest quality possible to yourimages@dailyherald.com. Please remove any date stamps on the photo.

• Include your name, mailing address and phone number, plus a detailed description of your photo. Remember to include a sentence or two on what you like about it and your hometown.

• One photo a week per photographer, but enter as many weeks as you’d like.

• First-place winners will receive prizes alternating between The Great Frame Up in Schaumburg and PJ’s Camera in Glen Ellyn.