2025 Student Art Contest Winners

The Arkansas Wildlife Federation again hosted the annual Wildlife of Arkansas Student Art Contest promoting wildlife education through the arts. More than 2,300 students from kindergarten through 12th grade submitted artwork and jurors selected the winning pieces.

The competition is administered by the Arkansas Wildlife Federation (AWF) with support from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) and National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Special thanks to our volunteers, Geralyn Hoey, Amanda Brogdon, and Mandy Clark-Russell for their commitment to making this program a success!

Thank you to our jurors for their time and expertise in reviewing and selecting the winners for this year’s contest.

Bryan Winfred Massey, Sr., Professor of Art-Sculpture/3D Design, University of Central Arkansas

Jessie Hornbrook, Assistant Professor of Printmaking, University of Central Arkansas

Leslie Macklin, Assistant Professor of Art and Foundations Coordinator, University of Central Arkansas

Kindergarten

“Black Bear Under Rare Northern Lights”
Charcoal and chalk pastel on construction paper
By Antony Neddo

1st Place

“Woodpecker in the Spring”
Oil pastel
By Audie Williamson

2nd Place

“Bobcat Kitten”
Beeswax crayons on paper
By Sophie Sizemore

3rd Place

“Tiger”
Oil-based paint pen
By Talon Sizemore

Honorable Mention

1st Grade

“Scorpio”
Colored pencils and watercolor pencils on paper
By Kes Ferguson

1st Place

“Birdie”
Oil Pastel on 9″x12″ mixed media paper
By Hardhanya Prapakaran

2nd Place

“Tufted Titmouse”
Oil pastel on paper
By Calvin Casey

3rd Place

“Untitled”
Pencil and markers
By Lyric Herera

Honorable Mention

“Flying Frog”
Oil pastels on paper
By Emme Duhamel

Honorable Mention

2nd Grade

“My Cutie Little Fox”

By Ameya Ammanabrolu

1st Place and Best in Show – Elementary School

“Black-tailed Jackrabbit”
Acrylic on canvas
By Marshal Taylor

2nd Place

“Red Squirrel”
Water-based marker on water color paper
By Caroline Koerts

3rd Place

“Raccoon”
Mixed media collage (tempera, oil pastel)
By Caly Robinson

Honorable Mention

“The Adventure Squirrel”
Tempera and colored pencils on paper
By Evelyn Moyer

Honorable Mention

3rd Grade

“Cardinal”
Oil pastel on paper
By Isaac Simpson

1st Place

“Owl”
Glue drawing with dry pastels
By Annabelle Pacocha

2nd Place

“Hawk”
Oil pastel on paper
By Brayden Bailey

3rd Place

“The Smooth Flying Southern Flying Squirrel”
Tempera and acrylic on paper
By Bobbie McLalland

Honorable Mention

“Fearless Goose”
Colored pencil and acrylic paint on paper
By Kennedy Plunkett

Honorable Mention

4th Grade

“The White-Tailed Deer in Fall”
Acrylic on 8×10 canvas
By Jasper Hankins

1st Place

“Duck on the Water”
Oil pastel
By Liya Dees

2nd Place

“Frogs in a Pond”
Acrylic
By Ilimaleialoha Knight

3rd Place

“The Curious Deer”
By Swojasvi Ammanabrolu
Honorable Mention

“Mallard”
Watercolor and prismacolor
By Jett Jones

Honorable Mention

5th Grade

“The Fox”
Watercolor and prismacolor
By Charlotte Stevens

1st Place

“Magnoilia”
Watercolor and prismacolor
ByJenny Phan

2nd Place

“The Mockingbird in Spring”
Acrylic paint on 8×10 canvas
By Erin Hankins

3rd Place

“Opossum”
Pastel
By Susan Dean

Honorable Mention

“Jumping Spider”
Pastel, 18″ x 24″
By Norah Karr

Honorable Mention

6th Grade

“Angel Bunnies”
By Ally Morbach

1st Place and Best in Show – Middle School 

“The Deer”
Watercolor and prismacolor
By Ally Morbach

2nd Place

“Home in the Hollow”
By Aiden Bae

3rd Place

“Afternoon Tea”
Ink on paper
By Scion Larson

Honorable Mention

“Arkansas Trout”
Oil on canvas
By Analena Garcia

Honorable Mention

7th Grade

“Woodpecker Duo”
By Anna Yang

1st Place

“Bird in Tree”
Linoleum block print and watercolor
By Alys Stevens

2nd Place

“Afternoon Swim”
Oil pastels
By Mikaela Howard

3rd Place

“Springtime”
Oil pastels
By Kailyn Slocum

Honorable Mention

8th Grade

“Bass on the Hook”
By Isabel Tilley

1st Place

“Heron”
Oil pastels
By Jaslyn Tran

2nd Place

“Curious”
Oil pastel, watercolor, and colored pencil
By Mayla Kirkland

3rd Place

“Arkansas Wildlife Print”
Colored ink on print
By Story Patterson

Honorable Mention

9th Grade

“Peacefulness”
Soft pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
By Tesanee Perry

1st Place

“Black Bear with Monarch Butterfly”
Graphite on paper
By Riley-Babb-Corley

2nd Place

“The Lost Melody”
Graphite on paper
By Morgan Eckl

3rd Place

“Barn Swallows”
Colored pencil
By Audrey Liu

Honorable Mention

“Ponderings of Garbage”
Scratchboard
By Henry Cooper

Honorable Mention

10th Grade

“Turkey Portrait”
Colored pencils and acrylic markers
By Layklnn Falconer

1st Place

“Bee-autiful
Acrylic on canvas
By Lilian Chumbley

2nd Place

“Together at Dusk”
Colored pencil on paper
By Sarah Schmitz

3rd Place

“Mockingbird”
Colored pencil
By Audrey Liu

Honorable Mention

“American Bullfrog”
Pointillism with sharpie
By Sean Rogers

Honorable Mention

11th Grade

“The Mockingbird”
Watercolor and graphite pencils
By Andrea Zappola

1st Place

“Mooneye”
Graphite, watercolor, and paint markers
By Kira Thomas

2nd Place

“On the Hunt”
Colored pencil and graphite
By Nila Mesghali

3rd Place

“Fresh Sturgeon Taco”
Pencil on paper
By Olivia Longoria

Honorable Mention

“Natural Pigments”
Botanical pigment extracts
By Julia Quinones

Honorable Mention

12th Grade

“Opossums of the Ozarks”
Watercolor, ink, white highlighter pen
By Emma Sumner

1st Place and Best in Show – High School

“Scenes of Arkansas”
Watercolor and ink
By Taylor Henley 

2nd Place

“Inflorescent Wings”
Colored pencils and paint marker
By MaKayla McCollum

3rd Place

“A Riot of Raccoon Reactions”
Pencil on mixed media paper
By Zuzana Strnadova

Honorable Mention

“Bee on a Wildflower

By Samantha Pflieger

Honorable Mention

About Your Jurors

Bryan Winfred Massey, Sr. is currently the Chair of the Department of Art & Design and a Professor of Art/Sculptor/Designer at the University of Central Arkansas, Conway. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC; his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. He is currently working to finish his Doctorate of Education (EdD) at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock in Higher Education Administration. He is primarily a stone carver. He works with a variation of stones from alabaster, soapstone, limestone, marble and granite. He also cast in iron, bronze and aluminum as well as fabrication of large scaled sculptures in steel. Bryan has been married to his wife, Delphine Massey, for 36 years and they have three children.


Jessie Hornbrook is a printmaker, multidisciplinary artist, and educator. Her imagery balances layers of intaglio, lithography, relief, and screen print to achieve depth of media and message. Hornbrook’s visual vocabulary oscillates from simplicity to complex mark; abstraction to photographic representation; and in between realms of intricate biological systems to the mundane coffee cup. Hornbrook earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Central Michigan University and her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art (Printmaking) from Louisiana State University. As the Assistant Professor of Printmaking at the University of Central Arkansas, she teaches Print, Drawing, 2D art, and BFA Professional Practices. She is an avid member of multiple national printmaking councils and has shown work internationally in Rome, South America, France, and Spain. Hornbrook recently completed a residency in La Gran Canaria, Spain to master the art of electronic etching.


Leslie Macklin grew up in Southern Missouri and received her MFA at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in New Bedford, MA. Currently, she holds the appointment of Assistant Professor of Art and Foundations Coordinator at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR. Her notable professional activities include guest lecturer at the inaugural Ceramic Forum in Vinhedo, Brazil, a panelist at the International Ceramics Festival in Aberystwyth, Wales, exhibiting across the United States including juried shows in Houston, TX; Portland, Or; Tallahassee, FL; Boston, MA; Manhattan, New York; and internationally in Essex, England. When not in the studio or teaching you can find her in the kitchen, creating and testing experimental popcorn flavors or making a giant mess somewhere with her two young kids.