JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Wildlife Forever have opened entry submissions for the annual Florida Fish Art Contest.
The competition introduces kids, ages 5 to 18, to conservation and fishing by highlighting native Florida fish species. Wildlife Forever organizes the national contest, which originated from a fifth-grader’s homework assignment, while FWC serves as the official host state organization for Florida entries.
Participants must submit one original artwork depicting a native species, along with a creative writing submission. The contest features two categories: Freshwater and Saltwater.
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Eligible freshwater species include Florida bass, striped bass, black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, spotted sunfish, channel catfish, Florida gar, chain pickerel and bowfin. Saltwater options include snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, wahoo, tarpon, mahi-mahi, Spanish mackerel, hogfish, queen snapper and red grouper.
Submissions are judged across five grade brackets: kindergarten, first through third grade, fourth through sixth grade, seventh through ninth grade and 10th through 12th grade. One first-place winner and one runner-up are chosen for both freshwater and saltwater entries in each bracket.
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First-place winning entries advance to the national competition. FWC displays first-place artwork at its offices in Tallahassee and features the pieces in official state regulations guides.
One student’s artwork may be chosen for the GoOutdoorsFlorida hard card license option, making the design available on collectible credit-card-style licensing cards.
Submissions close on Feb. 28, 2027. Wildlife Forever and FWC will announce the contest winners approximately one month after the competition deadline.
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