2001
Give Us Your
Best Shot
photo contest winners

Congratulations to the winners of Illinois Parks & Recreation magazine's 2001 "Give Us Your Best Shot" Photo Contest, sponsored by the Joint Editorial Committee of the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association.

A total of 186 photographs were submitted in four categories: Nature/Landscapes, Recreation, Wildlife and Sports.

"Park districts and forest preserves provide the perfect backdrop for spectacular nature and recreation shots," says Bill McAdam, director of recreation and marketing for the Plainfield Park District and co-chair of the photo contest.

"We all take pictures for our agency for our use. This is a great way to share them throughout the state and get some recognition for our agencies."

Jayne Finger, manager of marketing and communications for the Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA), won second place honors in the recreation category. It was her first time entering the annual contest. Her award, a framed and matted print of her photograph, hangs in the lobby of Park Central, NWSRA's headquarters.

Says Finger: "Last year we set a goal for our agency to get new photos to be used for our brochures, annual reports and newsletters, so we made a list of all the programs that would have fun pictures."

"I grabbed my camera and when we got (to the day camp) I took a whole roll of film, and this one just jumped out at me. It was so colorful and really captured the face on the child and the counselor's face."

You could be a winner, too. Set a goal to take some great summer and fall photographs for the 2002 "Give Us Your Best Shot" Photo Contest. Entry deadline is October 1, 2002. Look for more information in upcoming issues of Illinois Parks &b Recreation magazine or go online to the IAPD and IPRA Web sites, and click on publications: www.ILparks.org or www.il-ipra.org.