Teachers and students across Georgia are invited to celebrate wildlife through art by participating in the 32nd annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest.
The goal of this competition for grades K-5 is to generate knowledge of and appreciation for the state’s biological diversity. The initiative is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network, or TERN, friends group of DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section.
The 2021-2022 theme – Nature’s Fascinating Engineers – highlights engineering feats performed by native animals and plants. Beavers build dams, birds make nests, dandelions produce parachute-like seeds and gopher tortoises dig burrows. These structures help species survive, and they are often imitated by humans through biomimicry.
As inspiration for their artwork, students can look for plants, birds and other wildlife in their backyard or schoolyard. Even if neighborhood greenspace is scarce, there’s a world of insects and plants that can be found and observed. City, county and state parks are great places to discover nature, too – and most people have at least one park in their community.
After creating artwork based on this year’s theme and according to contest rules, participants will enter their drawings and paintings at the local school level. Top school-level entries then proceed to the state contest at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens. First-, second- and third-place winners will be chosen for four divisions: kindergarten, first and second grade, third and fourth grade, and fifth grade. The deadline for schools to submit digital photos of state-level entries is April 8, 2022.
The top 12 state-level winners’ artwork will be showcased on the DNR Wildlife Resources Division and State Botanical Garden social media sites. Also, each state-level winner’s teacher and one parent will be eligible to receive a free DNR wildlife license plate, courtesy of TERN. For contest rules, awards, entry forms and other information, visit georgiawildlife.com/PosterContest.
For contest rules, awards, entry forms, and other information visit: www.georgiawildlife.com/postercontest.
