Brookfield, Ill. — From butterflies to lions and snakes to macaws, Brookfield Zoo is a photographer’s paradise. So, grab your camera and head to the Zoo, where you might just capture a winning shot to enter in its annual digital Photo Contest. This year’s grand prize winner will receive a Brookfield Zoo Family Plus Membership, a Penguin Encounter for two people, an original painting by one of the Zoo’s Humboldt penguins, and a $100 Brookfield Zoo gift certificate.

Photo entries, which are being accepted beginning May 26, 2023, 12 p.m. CDT, can be color or black-and-white and must feature an animal or animals, although they do not have to be taken at Brookfield Zoo. (Photos with people will not be accepted and will be disqualified). Entries should be a JPG/JPEG at a minimum resolution of 3600 x 2700 pixels and a maximum file size of 24MB at the time of submission or will not be accepted. One entry per person. All entries, along with a completed Photo Contest official entry form, must be received by August 11, 2023, 5 p.m. CDT. For the official rules as well as to obtain an entry form, go to CZS.org/2023PhotoContest.

Professional judges will select the grand prize winner from all entries. Additionally, they will select their top seven picks in each of the following categories: reptiles/amphibians/invertebrates/fish, mammals, and birds. The public is being asked to then go to the Zoo’s website from August 21 to September 1, 2023, and vote for their favorites in the three categories. Photos with the most votes in each of the categories will receive first place, the photos with the second most votes will receive second place, and the photos with the third most votes will receive third place.

Contest winners will be notified by September 5, 2023. Prizes will be awarded during a reception for winners at the Zoo on September 16. Winning photos will be displayed at Brookfield Zoo on the digital monitor located at the Hamill Family Nature Plaza, at least through October 31, 2023. The grand prize winning photo will be published in Gateways, the Chicago Zoological Society’s members’ magazine. Winning photographers’ names and their photos will be posted on the Society’s website and social media channels once all winners have been notified.