Vulture Photo Victorious in Forest Preserve’s 2022 Photo Contest

Shorewood resident Joe Viola’s turkey vulture photo was the big winner in the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s 2022 Preserve the Moment photo contest.

Viola’s vulture picture was one of eight monthly finalists chosen throughout the course of the contest from May through December. His photo went on to win the overall contest after receiving the most votes on Facebook in early January. Viola will receive a $500 MasterCard gift card for his first-place finish.

“I took that photo on Rt. 6 at Rock Run Rookery on the way home from work,” Viola said via email after being notified of his win. “I saw it sitting in the trees along the water’s edge and was able to pull over and get the shot. At first, I thought it was a juvenile eagle until I looked into the camera and was able to see the red head. It was still great to see.”

The photo’s detail and painting-like quality immediately drew the attention of online voters in the contest, who called it a “majestic” and “glamorous” photo.

Chad Morsch of Romeoville will receive a $250 MasterCard gift card for his second-place photo of a fox squirrel. Naperville resident Bertrand Leclercq will receive a $150 MasterCard gift card for his third-place photo of an eagle.

Facebook voters picked monthly finalists after Forest Preserve judges narrowed the entries to the top five. For the final round of voting, all eight monthly finalists competed for top honors, with more than 1,250 votes cast on the Forest Preserve’s Facebook page.

Monthly finalists received $75 gift cards. Three contest participants chosen at random to receive $75 MasterCard gift cards were: Tiffany Adams of Chicago, and Robert DesCamps and Emilie Brazinski, both of Plainfield. All prizes are funded by The Nature Foundation of Will County, willcountynature.org.

During last year’s contest, nearly 1,000 photos were submitted for consideration. To view all contest entries, visit the Forest Preserve District’s Flickr account, Flickr.com/WillCoForests.

For more information on the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.