About the Student Art Contest

All students who are current Arkansas residents in grades K-12 of the current school year are eligible, including home-schooled students.

Yes. All students who are current Arkansas residents in grades K-12 in Arkansas are eligible. For homeschool students, please select the appropriate grade level according to age.

No. Only current Arkansas residents are eligible to participate in the contest.

Yes. In fact, many art teachers incorporate the art contest into their curriculum. For curriculum ideas and resources, click here.

Yes. While the contest is named “Wildlife of Arkansas”, artwork featuring Arkansas-native landscapes, wildflowers, or Arkansas waterways are all eligible.

Artwork must feature Arkansas-native plants, wildlife, and landscapes, meaning those that occur naturally in Arkansas. This is in contrast to non-native and often invasive species which have been introduced from other places by human activities. For example, Whitetail deer, monarch butterfly, and largemouth bass are all native to Arkansas. Feral hogs, domesticated animals like dogs and cats, or ornamental flowers are not native.

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″.

Students may only submit one artwork per year to the annual contest. Only artwork created
during the current school year will be eligible.

No. Only artwork created during the current school year may be submitted. Artwork that was created in previous years, and/or artwork that was submitted to the contest in previous years is not eligible.

Submissions are made via the online submission portal on this website. You will upload a photograph of your artwork along with the title and caption describing the art medium used. Be sure that ALL personal contact information is ACCURATE before submitting. Once your artwork has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation email sent to the email address that you listed with your submission.

Yes, however it is recommended that each participant provide an individual/personal email address if possible. Using a teacher email address for multiple student submissions may result in duplicate communications emails and contest updates including notification of judging results. Also note that some email accounts, especially school accounts, may block AWF emails. If you must use a school account, please be sure to check your spam folder and add info@arwild.org to your safe list.

Check to make sure that you have completed all the required fields in the submission form and
that you have good internet connection. You should receive a confirmation email upon successfully submitting your artwork. Please do not resubmit your artwork until you have first checked your spam folder and/or added info@arwild.org to your safe list. If it appears that your submission is still not going through, and you have not received a confirmation email, please contact info@arwild.org for additional support.

Your submission has been accepted if after clicking “Submit” you see a page that says, “Your entry has been received.” Your submission will not be visible in the gallery until it has been approved which can take up to 48 hours. If you do not see your submission in the gallery after two business days, contact  info@arwild.org for additional support.

Winners will be selected by a panel of professional artists and judged based on 3 criteria:
creativity, skill, and interpretation of the theme.

Winners will be invited to a special reception in Little Rock, Arkansas in May (exact date and location TBA). Their artwork will be featured at the reception and in a traveling exhibit to be displayed in nature centers and other public locations across the state. In addition, winning artwork will be featured in the summer issue of Arkansas Out of Doors magazine, the official statewide publication of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation.

No. Beginning with the 2024 contest, cash prizes will not be part of the award package. Winners will receive a certificate and will be recognized at a reception, in a traveling exhibit of winning artwork, and in Arkansas Out of Doors magazine, as detailed above.

Two copies of the magazine will be sent to each winner to the address provided in the submission form. Arkansas Wildlife Federation (AWF) cannot mail additional copies of the magazine and is not responsible for inaccurate mailing addresses resulting in “lost” mail. (Note: all current AWF “members” [financial contributors to AWF] automatically receive one mailed copy of each issue of the magazine. To join AWF and support programs like this and more, click here.)

The exhibit tour schedule will be posted on the AWF website when finalized in late spring. It will also be promoted on AWF’s social media, including Facebook and Instagram.

Winners will be announced the week of April 21, 2025 via the email provided in the submission form. Please be sure that you enter a valid and correct email address upon submitting your artwork. If you were chosen as a winner, you will receive an individual email stating the award with additional information. If you were not selected as a winner, you will receive a standard email letting you know that judging has concluded and encouraging you to try again next year!

Please do not email AWF to inquire of judging status before April 21, 2025. Also note that some email accounts, especially school accounts, may block AWF emails. If you do not see an email with the judging results on or before April 15, 202, please first check your spam folder and add info@arwild.org to your safe list. If you still do not see the email, contact us at info@arwild.org to inquire.