Editor's note: The submission period ended at 9 p.m. Wednesday. See and vote for the finalists.

Sharing snapshots from a recent vacation isn't a new idea. But being rewarded for it is.

Patch has partnered with Caribou Coffee, Water Street Inn, Foodies on Foot and Northern Vineyards Winery to sweeten the idea of sharing.

For four weeks, we're encouraging you, the Patch user, to upload your favorite vacation photos from this summer. Whether it's a dramatic scenic photo or a picture of your child never looking cuter, we want to see it! Submissions are accepted Monday through Wednesday each week. Please include a brief description of the photo.

• Check out Week 2's submissions
• Check out Week 1's submissions

Ten photos will be selected from each week's pool of photos. Thursdays through Sundays are designated as voting days. A winner will be selected based on the number of comments showing support of a particular photo. The winner, who will be announced the following Monday, receives a $25 gift card to Caribou Coffee.

After the four weeks, the winners face off for seven days of voting. The photo that collects the most comments of support gets the photographer a grand prize getaway to Stillwater valued up to $500 with an overnight stay at Water Street Inn, a Foodies on Foot adventure and a tour at Northern Vineyards Winery.

It’s pretty simple, here’s all you have to do:

• Find your best, original pictures from your summer vacation.
• To add your images, click on the "Upload Photos and Videos" button under the photo. Please include your hometown.
• Once voting opens, get all your friends to vote for you!

And, some of the legal details: 

• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
• To enter, upload your summer vacation photos to the “Patch's Summer Vacation Photo Contest“ post on any of the 25 Minnesota Patch sites. Entrants can only submit photos of their own original photos, which must be from this summer. The use of any agencies or automated software to submit entries will void all entries submitted by that person. 
• All entries must be received by 9 p.m. CDT Wednesday of the competing week.
• Four weekly winners will receive a $25 gift card to Caribou Coffee.
• One grand prize winner selected from the weekly winners will receive a grand prize valued up to $500. The grand prize includes an overnight stay at Water Street Inn, a Foodies on Foot adventure and a tour at Northern Vineyards Winery, all located in Stillwater. Transportation to/from Stillwater is not included in the prize and will be the responsibility of the winner.

See the attached PDF for complete Official Rules.

Of course, we encourage you to share the link with your friends and family and brag about your great photo. Tell Patch and community members something awesome about your photograph in comments section below.