Artful catfish kids, in five states, could use their artistic abilities to highlight their state catfish. The contest, offered by Wildlife for Ever, encourages K-12 students to enter their artwork in the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest.
Of all the states in the nation, five list the channel catfish as their state fish. Blue catfish, flathead catfish, or any other catfish has not been selected as a state fish anywhere. Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska and Tennessee name the channel catfish as their state fish. If you live in any of these five states and have a talented kid, encourage them to enter the contest.
The contest requires student artists to depict a state fish. Prizes are awarded at the state and national levels in four categories: K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. Students in grades 4-12 also write a one-page essay about the fish, its natural habitat and the importance of that habitat in addition to the artwork.
Complete contest rules and the entry form can be found on Wildlife Forever’s website, www.wildlifeforever.org/contest. The entry will be mailed to Wildlife Forever, 2700 Freeway Blvd., No. 1000, Brooklyn Center, MN, 55430.
The 2017 deadline is March 31, so there is not much time left this year, but you can put it on the calendar for 2018. Wildlife Forever has conducted the contest for the past 19 years.
Wildlife Forever is a non-profit organization working to preserve America’s wildlife heritage through conservation education, preservation of habitat and scientific management of fish and wildlife species. Wildlife Forever has funded conservation projects in all 50 states. To learn more, visit www.wildlifeforever.org.
To see a list of state fish visit the website at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_fish
