Hey, kids! Do you enjoy nature as well as creating artwork? Georgia’s 16th annual Youth Birding Competition invites resident children and teens to celebrate birds through a T-shirt Art Contest.

Many famous ornithologists were bird artists when they were young, so perhaps you could be the next John James Audubon, Roger Tory Peterson or David Allen Sibley!

A winner will be picked from each of four age categories: primary (pre-K-2nd), elementary (third-fifth), middle school (sixth-eighth) and high school. One winner will be awarded the grand prize – their artwork will appear on the 2021 Youth Birding Competition T-shirt and they’ll receive a $100 Amazon gift card. The three other winners will each receive a $50 Amazon gift card, redeemable for art supplies.

Entering is easy. Participants must draw or paint a native Georgia bird that has not been previously featured on a Youth Birding Competition T-shirt (details at www.georgiawildlife.com/YBCTshirtArtContest). Artwork may be created on paper or sheet canvas, at least 8-by-10 inches but no larger than 11-by-17 inches. To enter the contest, email a full-frame photo (from a camera or smartphone) of the artwork by March 10, 2021, to Linda.May@dnr.ga.gov.

Be sure to provide the participant’s name, school, age, grade level, city, phone number and e-mail address, and the species name of the bird depicted in the artwork.

The illustrated bird must be a wild species that is native to Georgia. Artwork of exotic or domesticated species (such as European starlings, pigeons, yellow ducks, peacocks and parrots) will be disqualified. 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.  

Only one entry per person is allowed, and it must be the child’s original artwork. Participation in the Youth Birding Competition, tentatively scheduled for April 23-24, is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest.

In the 2021 Youth Birding Competition, teams try to see or hear as many bird species as possible throughout Georgia during the event’s 24-hour period.  While judges examine and score checklists, participants enjoy a live animal show followed by an awards banquet packed with prizes at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield.

In the event the birding competition is cancelled because of COVID, 2021 T-shirts will not be produced. However, art contest winners will still receive their Amazon gift card awards.

For more information on the T-shirt Art Contest, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/YBCTshirtArtContest.  You can also contact art contest coordinator Linda May at (706) 319-0211 or linda.may@dnr.ga.gov.

Details on the 2021 Youth Birding Competition, including how to register a team (March 31 deadline), will be posted soon at www.georgiawildlife.com/YBC. You can also contact competition coordinator Tim Keyes at (912) 262-3191 or tim.keyes@dnr.ga.gov.