Local Young People Invited to Enter DNR’s Youth Birding T-shirt Art Contest

Courtesy: Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division

Georgia’s 14th annual Youth Birding Competition is inviting children and teens to celebrate birds through a T-shirt Art Contest.

Linda May is an environmental outreach coordinator for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division and the coordinator of the art contest.

May says the contest is open to young people from pre-K to 12th grade.

“The art contest is to help kids learn about birds in Georgia,” She said. “It’s also to provide artwork for our annual Youth Birding Competition t-shirt.”

One winner will be awarded the grand prize – their artwork will appear on the T-shirt and they’ll receive a $100 gift card to Michaels.

The winners of the the three other divisions will each receive a $50 Michaels gift card, redeemable for art supplies.

The 2019 Youth Birding Competition takes place on April 26 and 27at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Jasper County.

“The 2019 Youth Birding Competition starts at 5 p.m. Friday, April 26, and ends at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27,” May explained. “Groups may use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia. Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must turn in their checklists at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Saturday. While judges examine and score checklists, participants will enjoy a live animal show followed by an awards banquet packed with prizes.”

Each team will be wearing t-shirts displaying the winner’s bird artwork.

Art contest winners will be picked from four categories, pre-K-2nd grade, third through fifth grade, sixth through eight grade and high school.

May said entering is easy.

“Participants must draw or paint a native Georgia bird that has not been previously featured on a Youth Birding Competition T-shirt,” she said.

Artwork may be created on paper or sheet canvas, at least 8-by-10 inches but no larger than 11-by-17 inches.  On a separate piece of paper, gently taped to the back of the artwork, include the participant’s name, school, age, grade level, mailing address, phone number, parent or teacher’s e-mail address, and species name of the bird depicted.

The illustrated bird must be a wild species and native to Georgia. Draw or paint the bird’s features as accurately as possible. A simple background that provides habitat context is good to include, but make sure your bird stands out well and is the focus of the artwork. Also keep in mind that deep, contrasting colors scan best for a T-shirt.

Artwork must be submitted to the DNR Wildlife Division in Social Circle, GA by March 13.

Mail or deliver the artwork in a large envelope – flat, not folded to: GA DNR-WRD, YBC T-shirt Art Contest (Attn: Linda May), 2065 US Hwy. 278 SE, Social Circle, GA 30025.

To get complete details on how to submit your artwork, you can go online to www.georgiawildlife.com/YBCTshirtArtContest.