Arkansas Wildlife Federations 

"Wildlife of Arkansas"
Student Art Contest 

Accepting entries January 13th through March 31st, 2025
                          

About the Student Art Contest
The theme Wildlife of Arkansas  acknowledges the natural beauty of Arkansas by providing the perfect inspiration for students to explore their natural artistic abilities. The term Wildlife is not limited to animals, but can also include wildflowers, natural landscapes like our public lands, streams & rivers, etc. 

The Wildlife of Arkansas student art contest is made possible in part through a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and the judging expertise of the University of Central Arkansas' Art Department.  

Guidelines for Art (painting, drawing or collage)
The contest is FREE and open to k–12th grade students in Arkansas. 
One entry per student is accepted.
Artwork must be the student’s original work completed in the 2024-2025 school year. 
All submissions must be titled.  
 
The art contest is virtual with judging done via photographs that are submitted online.  The medium can be oil, acrylic, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, graphite, ink, and mixed media on canvas, wood, paper or poster board no larger than 24"x32". 

Three tips for taking awesome pictures of your Artwork:
#1 Use good lighting- The best is non-direct outside lighting. No glare or shadows
#2 Make sure it's in focus and flat.
#3 Edit it...but do it sparingly.  (Crop it, adjust lighting, just make sure the Image represents your actual artwork.)

For more tips on how to photograph your artwork check out this video: 

Judging
Artwork submitted online will be judged on creativity, skill, and interpretation of the theme.
A panel of professional artists will select three winners in each grade, as well as “Best in Show” for elementary, middle, and high school.  

Winning artwork will be presented in a traveling art exhibition showcased at locations around the state, beginning at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock where student winners will be recognized at an awards reception. Artwork will also be featured in the summer issue of Arkansas Out of Doors magazine, the official publication of Arkansas Wildlife Federation. Each winner will be mailed a copy of the magazine featuring their winning artwork.

Awards are as follows:
Awards are to be given to students with top entries in each grade.

Event Disclaimer
Judges' decisions are final. 
AR Wildlife Federation reserves the right to reproduce submitted artwork
for promotional purposes (Example: Use in  AWF Facebook ads, Arkansas Out of Doors magazine, and the annual Wildlife of Arkansas Student Art Calendar).
 

*Important: The teacher or student is responsible for entering his or her artwork in the correct grade level for each student. For example 1st grade student artwork must be submitted in the 1st-grade category, 2nd-grade students' artwork must be submitted in the 2nd-grade category.  etc.