Fish Art Contest

The Fish Art Contest is a way for children around the world to engage with the outdoors through the arts, and over the years, it has grown into an international contest.

The IGFA and Wildlife Forever recently formed an agreement for the IGFA to sponsor the 2022 Fish Art Contest also known as the State Fish Art Contest. Hosted by Wildlife Forever since 1999, the Fish Art Contest is more than just an art contest. It is a way for students in grades K-12 around the world to engage with the outdoors through the arts, and over the years it has grown into an international contest.

The program aims to teach youth about fish, recreational fishing, and aquatic conservation through research, science, art, and creative writing. Students gain a deeper connection between self-awareness and understanding conservation of fish and their habitats, a goal that aligns with the IGFA’s mission of game fish conservation.

Part of the IGFA’s role as a sponsor for the 2022 contest will be creating a new, IGFA-specific conservation award category in which artwork featuring certain species on the Official Fish List will qualify. This award will reflect one of the IGFA’s major conservation initiatives to help raise awareness among students around the world.

The 2021 contest wrapped up on March 31, 2021. As part of this growing partnership, Wildlife Forever invited the IGFA  to join the panel of judges in which Youth Angling Instructor, Joanna Olczyk, will help judge the 2021 winners.

Regardless of access to outdoor opportunities, this free contest focusing on art and creative writing is open to all youth from September 1 to March 31 each year. Be sure to check the Fish Art Contest website on May 7, 2021 where this year’s winners will be announced!