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Prizes are up for grabs for those who visit Maryland state forests and find the biggest tree.

The Big-Tree Centennial Contest if offering a top prize of $500 for first place, as well as subsequent prizes, for the top five winners who report back on any trees larger than 15 feet in circumference. The type of tree doesn't matter for this contest, only size.

Participants are advised that in the Chesapeake Forest Lands on the Lower Eastern Shore, only public hunting areas are open to explore, as some land is leased property.

Two big trees have already been identified in state forests, including a silver maple in Green Ridge State Forest and a black oak in Elk Neck State Forest. Those trees are ineligible for this contest.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is running the contest, in partnership with the Maryland Forest Service, from Memorial Day weekend, May 24, through Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1.

The volunteer Maryland Big Tree program is celebrating its centennial this year.

State-owned forests ( see statewide map here ) cover more than 200,000 acres, and are open year-round for activities such as hiking and bird-watching, as well as seasonally for hunting and trapping.