Florida Fish Art Contest

The Fish Art Contest, inspired by a 5th grader's homework assignment, has grown into an international competition introducing youth to the wonders of fishing and the outdoors. Wildlife Forever organizes the competition each year and coordinates their efforts with host states around the country. The 2024 Contest Deadline is March 31st, 2024.

How Can I Participate?

The Fish Art Contest is open to all youth in grades K-12 (ages 5-18). To participate each youth will need to submit a completed entry form, and a one-page creative writing submission (required for grades 4-12), and an original piece of artwork featuring any fish including one or more of the following Florida native species from the same category below. Digital artwork will not be accepted this year.

• Category 1 – Freshwater: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Sunfish, Channel Catfish, Florida Gar, Chain Pickerel, Bowfin
• Category 2 – Saltwater: Snook, Redfish, Spotted Seatrout, Flounder, Tarpon, Mahi-Mahi, Spanish Mackerel, Hogfish, Queen Snapper, Black Grouper

Dive into the world of science, art, and conservation with the Wildlife Forever's brand new FishOn! Lesson Plans! Explore their collection of lesson plans designed to accompany the Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest. Featuring captivating science explorations, their lessons offer a cross curricular way to ignite curiosity and foster a deeper understanding of the natural world. This program is designed for teachers seeking innovative resources, and can be customized to suite a range of classrooms and age ranges. Join us in empowering the next generation of conservationists through creativity and education.

State Prizing

One first place winner and one runner up will be selected for each grade bracket (kindergarten through third grade, fourth through sixth grade, seventh through ninth grade, and tenth through twelfth grade), one for illustrating the best freshwater fish species and one for the best saltwater fish species. All first-place winners will advance to the National Competition to be judged for top prizes, such as the Best of Show. In addition to moving onto the national competition, FWC has coordinated the following prizes below:

• First place winners in the 10-12 grade bracket will receive 10 t-shirts printed with their artwork to give to family and friends from our partner The Florida Nomad and the shirts will also be available for sale on their website.
• The two first place winners from each grade bracket, one from each category, will have their artwork displayed in FWC’s freshwater or saltwater regulations guide.
• The two first place winners from each grade bracket, one from each category, will have their artwork displayed at the FWC headquarters in Tallahassee.

One lucky artist may be selected from the winners and runners-up, from any grade bracket, to have their artwork available as a hard card selection for their fishing license. Hard cards are available to purchase, at an additional fee, to anyone who obtains or already holds a fishing or hunting license from the Go Outdoors Florida licensing system. A hard card is a collectible, credit-card style document that is an alternative to an electronic or paper license. The selected artist will NOT be sent a complimentary license or hard card.