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Annual Youth Birding Competition t-shirt art contest opens

The 19th annual Youth Birding Competition in Georgia invites kids and teens to showcase their artistic talents by participating in a T-shirt art contest, celebrating the state's native birds.
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A barred owl drawing by Aleena Huang, a Duluth eighth grader and SKA Academy of Art and Design student, led the contest’s 153 entries from 61 public, private and home schools statewide.

Hey, kids! Do you enjoy nature as well as creating artwork? Georgia’s 19th annual Youth Birding Competition invites resident children and teens to celebrate birds through a T-shirt art contest.

Participants must draw or paint a native Georgia bird that has not been previously featured on a Youth Birding Competition T-shirt (more details at https://georgiawildlife.com/YBCtshirtArtContest). Georgia is home to over 400 species of wild birds, so options abound! Because the contest highlights birds that naturally occur in the state and were not brought here from other countries, artwork of non-native or domesticated species (such as European starlings, English sparrows, parrots, peacocks, Pekin ducks and rock doves) is not eligible.

Artwork must be flat (not 3D) and may be created on paper or canvas. Draw or paint the bird’s features as accurately as possible. A simple background that provides habitat context is good to include, but make sure the bird stands out well and is the focus of the artwork. Also keep in mind that deep, contrasting colors scan best for a T-shirt.  

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Primary Div Winner, Eastern Bluebird, Valor Johnson, Age 7, Homeschool, Harlem. Georgia Department of Natural Resources

To enter the contest, take a full-frame photo of your artwork using a camera or smartphone. Complete the online form at https://georgiawildlife.com/YBCtshirtArtContest and upload the photo of your artwork by Jan. 31, 2025. Only one entry per person is allowed, and it must be the youth’s original artwork. Participation in the Youth Birding Competition in April 2025 is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest.

A winner will be picked from each of four age divisions: primary (pre-K through second grade), elementary (third-fifth grades), middle school (sixth-eighth) and high school. One winner will be awarded the grand prize: Their artwork will appear on the 2025 Youth Birding Competition T-shirt and they’ll receive a $100 Amazon gift card. The three other first-place winners will each receive a $60 Amazon gift card. Runners-up in each age division will be awarded a $40 Amazon gift card.

In the 2025 Youth Birding Competition, teams will try to see or hear as many bird species as possible throughout Georgia in a 24-hour period during the contest dates. Details, including timing and how to register a team, will be posted later this year at https://georgiawildlife.com/YBC. You can also contact competition coordinator Tim Keyes at (912) 262-3191 or [email protected]

For more information on the T-shirt Art Contest and to enter, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/YBCtshirtArtContest. You can also contact art contest coordinator Linda May at (706) 319-0211 or [email protected].