Michiganians have a love affair with their state. From Up North to their own backyards, Michigan has an allure that cannot be denied.

Why not share your visions of Michigan in photos in our Your Patch of Michigan photo contest, and possibly win a prize for doing so? 

Through Sept. 17, we'll pick a winner every week based on voting by a panel of Michigan Patch editors. Each weekly winner will get a prize.

For the week of Sept. 4-10, the prize is a gift certificate to a Metro Detroit business or restaurant.

After Sept. 17, we'll pick a grand prize winner from all of the weekly winners.

The grand prize winner will receive a certificate for a two-night stay at Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island (to be used before Oct. 31, 2012, and blackout dates and other restrictions may apply).  The approximate retail value of the Grand Prize is $500.

Do you need to be Ansel Adams to win this? No. The single qualification for photos you send is that they say "Michigan" to you. If it oozes "Michigan," it qualifies.

How to enter the contest

Here's how you can enter: We have a few photos here to start things out. To add your own images, first become a registered Patch user if you aren't already, then add to the photo gallery on this page by clicking on "add your photos & video."

Each week, we'll have a new gallery and a new winner.

Be sure to include your real, full name and the place where the photo was taken, as well as any other relevant information about what they photo shows (put it in the caption field not the title field). The email address you use to register must be a working one so we can reach you should we have questions — or should you be selected as a winner.

All photos must be posted each Saturday by midnight to be judged for that week; the Week 5 photos are being judged now and will be announced this week; the Week 7 photos will be judged from entries submitted Sept. 4-10.

The contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. And this wouldn't be a contest without a complete list of official contest rules; you can read them here. Please, no more than three (3) entries per person per week. The winner will be selected each Monday, and must respond to notification within 48 hours.

If you aren't quite sure how to upload a photos, check out our step-by-step guide to uploading photos to Patch. If you still have trouble or have questions, email Associate Regional Editor Beth Valone at beth.valone@patch.com.