The Student Wildlife Art Contest Activity provides an opportunity for teachers to integrate art throughout the curriculum including science, social studies, geography, reading, writing, and technology.
For 30 years, the Alabama Wildlife Federation utilized the AWF William R. Ireland, Sr. Youth Wildlife Art Contest as a conservation education program to encourage children to create artwork depicting Alabama’s native wildlife. This program helped students learn about our native wildlife as they researched the species in order to accurately illustrate these animals in their artwork.
We have converted this contest into a free online activity with a lesson plan that teachers can download and use at any time. Our goal is that more of Alabama’s talented students will have the opportunity to be recognized locally for their artistic talents, while learning more about Alabama’s wildlife and the habitat these animals rely on for survival.
Student Wildlife Art Contest Activity Lesson Plan (PDF)
Learn more about the Student Wildlife Art Contest Activity below:
Alabama’s Wildlife Diversity | Benefits of a Student Wildlife Art Contest | Student Wildlife Art Contest Guidelines
Alabama is one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth. The state ranks fourth in the nation in plant and animal diversity and ranks first in freshwater species diversity. This wealth of natural biodiversity stems from the state’s diverse physiographic regions, abundance of water resources, and moderate climate. Alabama is home to a wide variety of wildlife including:
Alabama also has a high number of “at risk” and imperiled species, and only Hawaii has lost more species to extinction. The primary cause for the decline, extirpation, and extinction of these animals is the loss of habitat that provides food, water, shelter, and breeding areas for Alabama’s wildlife to flourish.
To learn more about Alabama’s amazing biodiversity, visit AWF’s online Student Investigation: Alabama’s Biodiversity.
The Student Wildlife Art Contest Activity helps teachers educate students about Alabama’s native wildlife through art, science, social studies, geography, reading, writing, and technology. The activity requires students to choose an animal native to Alabama and then research the animal and its habitat using reputable sources.
There are a variety of benefits of having students researching native wildlife including:
The guidelines for the Student Wildlife Art Contest Activity require students to choose one species of wildlife native to Alabama to research and depict. The artwork should portray anatomically-correct, native wildlife in their habitat while also demonstrating the artists’ creativity, originality, and skill to create a realistic composition.
Additional guideline suggestions include:
For a detailed description of the art contest and a full list of guidelines, download the lesson plan for the Student Wildlife Art Contest Activity (PDF)
