SALEM, Mass., August 14, 2012– Salem Five is pleased to announce the “We Love It Here!” photo contest.  Participants are invited to submit a photo that captures their vision of the essence of New England for a chance to win one of three prizes.

Photos are to be uploaded between August 8 and October 5, 2012 and meet all guidelines including landscape and layout. A panel of expert judges from the Peabody Essex Museum will choose the top ten contenders.  The public will then vote for their favorite photo on Facebook between October 6 and October 29. The winners will be announced in November.

The three winning prizes are:

1^st prize - A getaway at the newly restored historic hotel The Nantucket on Nantucket

2^nd prize - An overnight stay at the Inn at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich

3^rd prize - Dinner at Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf, overlooking Boston Harbor

The top three photographs will also be featured on the Salem Five website.

Contestants enter by “liking” the Salem Five Facebook page then uploading their submission.  Photos must be of a landscape in New England and be must be horizontal (landscape) orientation.  Participants must be 18 years or older and a Massachusetts resident.  For further details and additional photo guidelines please visit www.facebook.com/salemfivebank.

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Salem Five (salemfive.com) believes better banking starts with listening. A mutual institution founded in 1855, Salem Five designs and delivers sophisticated retail and commercial banking products and services coupled with smart technology. Among the first banks in the country to offer online banking, Salem Five continues to innovate, providing banking access wherever its customers need it: online, mobile, ATMs, offices, phone, email and more. Salem Five is one of the largest Massachusetts-headquartered banks with $2.9 billion in assets, and has 23 retail branches. Salem Five Mortgage Company finances more homes statewide than any other Massachusetts bank, and has offices throughout Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island. Salem Five Investment Services offers financial and retirement planning, portfolio review and money management with a focus on retirement income. Salem Five Insurance Agency provides personal and commercial insurance. Stoneham Savings, a division of Salem Five Bancorp (stonesav.com), has assets over $335 million and provides a full range of financial services to individual consumers and small- and middle-market businesses through six branches in Middlesex County. Deposits are insured through the FDIC and DIF.