Welcome to our first Virtual Art Contest
Due to health concerns for teachers, volunteers and students we are holding a virtual Art Contest and will not accept physical entries this year. That means a digital photograph of each piece of artwork will need to be uploaded to our website with the entry form. The Art Show will be virtual as well to avoid a large public gathering. We're disappointed that we will not get to see you in person this time, but we will continue to award prizes and ribbons to the winners, which will be available for pick up at our NEW office. All other aspects of the contest will be similar to years past. Thanks for your participation and patience.
Virginia Stauffer, Chair, Student Art Contest, Audubon Society of Omaha
Judging & Awards
Rules & Requirements
Note to Teachers
Virtual Art Show
Ribbon & Prize Pick up
Important Dates
February 15: Website open for uploading artwork with entry form
March 1: Last date to upload Student artwork
April 5: Art Show galleries open for online viewing
April 6-10: Prize and ribbon pickup
The Audubon Society of Omaha is pleased to sponsor its annual student art contest and show for 2021. The goal of this contest is to enrich the relationship of young people with birds and promote the importance of wildlife in our community. It is our hope that young people will recognize the birds they create and develop an enjoyment of nature.
Judging and Award Information
Each grade K-12 will be judged for Awards of Excellence and Merit in four categories: Realism, Graphic Design, Recycled and Cartooning.
In addition, there will be separate judging for Best in Show for three different age groups: K-4th, 5th-8th, and 9th-12th.
All submitted student artwork with awards will be exhibited on our website on or about April 5, 2021. Each grade will have its own "gallery" page with awards noted.
Entries are being accepted in the following categories:
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RealismTrue-to-life art in the tradition of American wildlife artists. The bird is easy to identify with accurate coloring and markings. The student must do a freehand drawing. No obvious tracings, stamps or stencils or computer-drawn works will be considered for an award. Art must be in color, unless the bird's actual coloring is black and/or white.
Medium: Colored pencil, ink, marker, watercolor, tempera paint, pastels, etc.Art by: Claire H., 10th grade
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Graphic DesignEmphasis on color, shape and design rather than realism, yet retaining bird identification; for example, bird(s) must still be identifiable as the species listed on the form. Artwork does not have to include shading for dimension and can be composed of flat blocks of color.
Medium: Colored pencil, ink, marker, watercolor, tempera paint, pastels, colored or textured paper, fabric, etc.Art by: James S., 6th grade
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RecycledEmphasis on creative use of recycled or up-cycled materials with some indication of the kind of bird portrayed, indicated by bird shape and some identifiable markings. Medium: Materials that are destined for recycling or the landfill. In addition, colored pencil, ink, marker, watercolor, tempera paint, pastels and glue or fasteners may be used. Please see SPECIAL rule about materials.
Art by: Quenby S., 8th grade
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CartooningAny style cartoon drawing with some indication of the kind of bird portrayed by using overall shape, color and some identifiable markings. Art may be a one-panel cartoon or a cartoon strip of several panels, and can include headlines, talk bubbles and captions. This category allows artists to add personality, tell a story or make a statement. Medium: Colored pencil, ink, marker, crayon.
Art by: Aedun M., 5th grade
Rules and Requirements:
All original artwork must depict one or more Midwestern birds in their native habitat or an endangered bird species. Need ideas for birds that live in our area? Go to Birds of Nebraska for hundreds of species.
This year we can ONLY accept digital photos or scans of original artwork. JPEGS are preferred with file size between 1MB and 3MB. Original, hand-made artwork should be two-dimensional, and can be any size. Each work of art requires an entry form to be filled out when art file is uploaded. Even though entries are digital this year, we discourage artwork created by using a computer.
SPECIAL Rules & Requirements for Recycled
Recycled artwork may be two-dimensional or THREE-DIMENSIONAL/Freestanding. Materials used should be dry, clean and safe – no rough or sharp edges. Artwork CANNOT use any bird byproducts such as bones, feathers, eggs, or eggshells. Please include a list of materials in the Media/Materials section of the form.
Note to Teachers and Parents
Teachers: Please limit entries to 4-6 per classroom, per category. We know it’s hard to do, but please do not submit an entire classroom's art without making any pre-selection.
Parents, student artwork does not need school sponsorship. All students in Nebraska and Iowa are welcome to enter this contest independently. This includes home-schooled students.
Tips for taking photos of artwork
The best way to photograph your student's artwork is to start by placing the artwork on a vertical surface such as a wall, or a piece of stiff poster board, preferably next to a window or other natural light source. Take the photo with a digital camera or phone holding the camera as straight and level as possible. When taking photo, be sure not to stand between your light source and the artwork to avoid shadows showing on the art. Next, send the photo file to your computer at the actual size. Ideal size will be 1MB-5MB. Edit file name to include student's grade, then last name. Scans of artwork will also be acceptable if that is easier.
