Story from Wildlife Forever
Wildlife Forever, along with Title Sponsor Bass Pro Shops are proud to announce the winners of the 2019 State-Fish Art Contest. A distinguished panel of judges selected National Winners from thousands of entries received from 43 states and 7 international countries.
“State-Fish Art is an incredible tool to connect youth with the outdoors. Students often put in hours creating their Fish Art and learning about conservation. As a recruitment model, this is a great opportunity for states to adopt and expand youth engagement,” said Bob Ziehmer, Senior Director of Conservation at Bass Pro Shops.
“For many students, this is their first experience learning about fish and fishing. I’m thankful for all of the partners and dedicated teachers and parents who support their students learning about our natural resources,” said Pat Conzemius, President and CEO of Wildlife Forever.
GRADES 10-12:
First Place: Edward Bae from Virginia with an incredible underwater painting capturing the release of a Striped Bass. Edward also won the coveted Art of Conservation Award.
Second Place: Anna Chang from California. Third Place: Helena Merker from New Jersey.
GRADES 7-9:
ZiHan Wang from New York took First Place with a fantastic painting of an Atlantic Sailfish.
Second Place: Mayah Kim of Virginia. Third Place: William Kim of New Jersey.
GRADES 4-6:
Stephanie Wang from New York took First Place with an outstanding painting of moonlight walleyes. Stephanie’s painting also won the
2019 National Best of Show Award.
Second Place: Lea You from South Korea. Third Place: Jennifer Chei from Virginia.
GRADES K-3
Top honors went to XinWei Wu from Florida with a wonderful leaping largemouth bass.
Second Place: Samuel Chen from California. Third Place: Adeline Suh from New Jersey
Additional National Awards included the Invader Crusader Award for art depicting invasive species which are one of the greatest threats to fish and fishing. Sharvani Bhagroo from West Virginia took home First Place by integrating invasive Hydrilla into their artwork.
The SMILE Award is a unique category depicts the humorous and whimsical side of Fish Art and ultimately makes everyone “smile”. The winner is Jared Huneycutt from North Carolina!
Congrats to all the winners. To enter next year, students create an original art illustration of any official State-Fish and an essay detailing its behavior, habitat, and efforts to conserve it. Entries are in four grade levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Entries are always due on March 31st. Visit www.StateFishArt.org
