Cantigny announces photo contest winners

Cantigny Park visitors voted and the results are in for the top three prize winners of the 2012 Cantigny in Focus amateur photo contest. The winners are:

First place: Catherine Pawlik, Naperville, for her captivating image of early morning dew on an evergreen tree.

Second place: Mary Lemak, Batavia, for her autumn photo depicting a speedy foursome at Cantigny Golf.

Third place: Tom Walsh, Orland Park, for his colorful monarch butterfly, photographed in the park’s Idea Garden. (Check out his photo inside.)

The winning shots were among 40 finalists chosen a year ago by a judging panel and displayed at the park throughout 2013. Visitors were encouraged to vote for their favorites. The top three receive a Cantigny gift card of $100, $75 or $50. A Cantigny Park annual membership was awarded to all 40 finalists.

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. 6, the top 40 images from the 2013 edition of Cantigny in Focus will go on display at the park. The three grand prize winners will again be determined by the public, with voting conducted throughout 2014.

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