Alaska Biodiversity Art Contest
AWCC’s Annual Art Contest is a celebration of Alaska’s majestic wildlife!
Calling all inspired K-12 Artists!
Our annual art contest is in its sixth year and this year’s theme is Animals of Alaska: Sky, Sea and Land!
Selected artists will be awarded prizes and have their pieces featured in an art gallery in the Be Wild Gift Shop, which can be visited both in person October 15th – October 31st and virtually. Free admission to view the gallery will be awarded to creators of the selected artworks plus one accompanying adult.
About: Animals of Alaska: Sky, Sea and Land.
The AWCC team is so excited about our 6th Annual Art Contest! While this year’s contest is open to both Alaskan students and out of state students (within the United States and territories), our 2024 theme is targeted to celebrate the diversity of wildlife in Alaska. In Alaska you will find 32 distinct ecoregions ranging from the rainforest to the arctic tundra. All four seasons are unique, and each has a distinct influence on life throughout Alaska. In the water, beluga whales, Orca’s, Dall’s porpoise, salmon, eulachon, and so much more can be found seasonally. On land, animals like Muskox, Wolves, porcupines, moose, and so much more take residence. Above the trees migratory birds like eagles, owls and hummingbirds take to the sky. Though you may not be familiar with all the wildlife found in this specific region, we hope that you and your students will be encouraged to find a connection to an Alaskan animal, no matter how far you are from Alaska. Perhaps this connection is made through the North American porcupine, or Bald Eagle, whose ranges extend far beyond just Alaska. Or it could be the Muskox who have a unique coat called qiviut and are found in the Alaskan Arctic. It may also be something that swims in the sea like salmon or Beluga whales. If not any of these, maybe Rufous Hummingbirds who migrate from Mexico to Alaska every year. The hope of this art contest is to inspire education about Alaskan Animals and the conservation work surrounding them. By participating in this exciting annual event, students and their support system help us further our mission, one entry at a time. View a PDF Interpretive Flyer HERE. Thank you!
6th Annual Art Contest Rules & Regulations
- Free entry for Alaskan students Prek-12th grade
- $5 entry fee for other students within the United States and territories (for teachers interested in a classroom rate, email artcontest@alaskawildlife.org)
- 1 entry per student
- Art must be 2 dimensional and no larger than 11″ x 17”
- Submissions can be sent in the mail to the address listed in the Registration and Consent Form OR by email to artcontest@alaskawildlife.org
- Participants are encouraged to put their name on the back of their artwork. This allows us to identify who it belongs to without it interfering with the image of the artwork. Artwork with names on the front will still be accepted but those chosen for a merchandise award will have the name edited out.
Timeline
- Accepting submissions: August 1st – October 1st
- Staff selections for gallery: October 2nd – October 8th
- In person gallery in Be Wild Gift Shop: October 15th – October 31st
- Voting for t-shirt and scholarship prizes in Be Wild Gift Shop: October 15th – October 31st
- Virtual gallery is published, closing event hosted on Zoom: November 2nd at 10am
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to each student selected for the 2024 art gallery. Art selected for the gallery will be entered into the chance to be awarded one scholarship accompanied by their artwork being featured on merchandise sold in AWCC’s Be Wild Gift Shop.
One of these awards will be given to each of the following categories:
- Grade school (PreK – 5)
- Middle school (6 – 8)
- High school (9 – 12)
- Alaska Ambassador Award
- This award will be given to the Alaska student entry that exemplifies the theme and inspires our AWCC team.
The AWCC art contest is intended to be an educational event.
With that we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to both do your research and practice your creativity! Below are some resources to help you become further inspired. Please email artcontest@alaskawildlife.org with any questions!
- Learn about the animals of AWCC
- Learn about marine life in the NOAA species directory
- Learn more about wildlife in the ADF&G species Profiles
- Learn about birds in the ADF&G Species Profiles and USFWS
5th Annual Highlights
We hope you enjoy this celebration of 2023’s selected artists in the virtual gallery below!
“It was truly an honor to receive so many amazing works of art from students across the country for the 5th Annual Art Contest. I loved getting to read what each artist loved about the Turnagain arm and see that reflected in their artwork. I hope that you will commend each of the selected artist on their amazing creations celebrating the Turnagain Arm.”
4th Annual Highlights
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is so thankful to all of the inspired artists that decided to share their creativity with us, and we are eager to celebrate 2022’s selected artists in the virtual gallery below!
It has been such an honor to help coordinate this year’s 4th Annual Art Contest. No matter what your favorite part about biodiversity is, we hope that you will admire the work of this year’s selected artists and their celebrations of Alaskan biodiversity. There is simply so much to behold!
3rd Annual Highlights
Congratulations to the selected artists from the 2021 Alaska Biodiversity Art Contest! In 2021 we partnered with the Wild Postcard Project and marked our 3rd annual art contest. We hope you enjoy this virtual art gallery that highlights the incredible work of these extremely talented young artists!
2nd Annual Highlights
Thank you to all our students, teachers, and schools that participated in the 2020 Art Contest!