Winners selected in 2010 State-Fish Art Contest
People’s Choice Award open to public voting via Facebook
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. – Wildlife Forever is proud to announce the winners of the 2010 State-Fish Art Contest. A distinguished panel of wildlife artists and honorary judges selected 110 winners from a field of thousands to be “the best of the best” in their states and grade categories.
“Wildlife Forever is pleased to honor the talented young artists, educators and parents who make the State-Fish Art Contest such a successful program,” said Douglas H. Grann, president and CEO of Wildlife Forever. “Together, we are using art to empower a new generation of conservationists. By sharing their fish art with family, friends and the general public, our young people are becoming ambassadors for good stewardship of fish and wildlife habitat.”
The winning entries from each state can be seen at www.statefishart.com and also at www.facebook.com/StateFishArtContest. Each state’s winners will have the opportunity to join talented young artists from across the country at the 12th Annual State-Fish Art Expo July 16-17 at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas. All winning artwork will be on display, and an awards ceremony will recognize the winners before a large crowd. Each winning artist who attends the expo will receive great prizes, goodie bags and fishing supplies from Rapala.
National awards to be announced at the State-Fish Art Expo include Best of Show honors for the top three pieces of artwork in each grade category from across the United States. The national Best of Show winner in grades 10 to 12 will receive a $2,500 scholarship to The Art Institutes International – Minnesota. The first runner-up in grades 10 to 12 will also receive a $1,000 scholarship to the college.
The People’s Choice Award will be determined by a worldwide public online vote at the State-Fish Art Contest fan page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/StateFishArtContest. Online voting begins May 17 and concludes July 5 with additional votes collected in person at the State-Fish Art Expo.
One outstanding piece of artwork will win the Art of Conservation Stamp Award and be reproduced as the 2010 State-Fish Art conservation stamp. Proceeds from the stamp will be used to fund the contest and children’s outdoor education.
Judges for this year’s competition included the following: Will Berigan, UBS, Wildlife Forever director; Rep. Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmer’s Union; Tim Carroll, North American Media Group; Bonnie Latham, artist, 2000 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Winner; Tom Mackin, Rapala; Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune outdoor editor and writer; plus Scott Grieve, Wildlife Forever board chairman (alternate judge).
Wildlife Forever’s 12th annual State-Fish Art Contest was made possible by support from the following: the North American Fishing Club, Rapala, Blick Art Materials, The Art Institutes International – Minnesota, the U.S. Forest Service Eastern Region, and the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.
About the State-Fish Art Contest
To enter the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest, young artists create an illustration of any official state fish and a written composition on its behavior, habitat and efforts to conserve it. Entries are categorized in three grade levels: 4 to 6, 7 to 9 and 10 to 12.
Educators nationwide have utilized the full-color interactive State-Fish
Art Contest Lesson Plan, an interdisciplinary educational supplement available online at www.statefishart.info and on CD. More information can be found at www.statefishart.com.
About Wildlife Forever
Located in Brooklyn Center, Minn., Wildlife Forever is a nonprofit multispecies conservation organization dedicated to conserving America’s wildlife heritage. Working at the grass-roots level, Wildlife Forever has funded conservation projects in all 50 states, committing millions of dollars to “on the ground” efforts. Wildlife Forever supports habitat restoration and enhancement, land acquisition, research, and management of fish and wildlife populations.