Keen amateur snappers are being invited to take shots that "capture the essence of living in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven", with the winning entries to be displayed in the new Illawarra Elective Surgical Services Centre.

Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District chief executive Margot Mains said the Your Hospital, Our Community photo competition would allow community members to put their stamp on the new facility.

"Wollongong Hospital will come of age following the completion of its $106 million redevelopment [in September 2015]," she said.

"Not only will it deliver more high-quality services and patient care, we also want it to reflect the community that it looks after.

" ... We hope the inclusion of welcoming local photographs will add a sense of warmth and comfort to the halls of [the centre].

"We all know that a visit to hospital can be an anxious time for patients and their loved ones so this collection of works will add a truly warm and personal touch to the hospital."

The competition is now open to amateur photographers of all ages living in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven who must enter images that reflect the region's "natural and man-made environments".

The winning entries will be selected by a panel of judges, including local photographer Dee Kramer, and will win a cash prize.

The contest will end with an event at Wollongong Art Gallery in April 2015.

Entries close at 5pm on Friday, February 27, 2015.

For details, go to islhd.health.nsw.gov.au/Capital_Works/Photo_Competition/default.asp.