Wildlife Forever and Bass Pro Shops are proud to announce the winners of the 2020 State-Fish Art Contest. A distinguished panel of judges selected winners from over 5,000 entries received from 47 states and 32 international countries.
On May 18th, judges from around the world utilized a new online platform to help to select this year’s winners. Artists competed for state, national and international recognition including several unique award categories including the Guy Harvey Award, Fish Migration Award and Invader Crusader Award. Students also competed by submitting a written essay for the Fish Make You Smarter Award.
“This year’s artwork was outstanding. We had a record year of growth providing evidence that art has an unparalleled power to connect and teach,” said Pat Conzemius, President & CEO of Wildlife Forever. “I’m grateful for our members and sponsors who invest in building stewardship and for the dedicated teachers, state hosts and parents who encourage young people all over the world to learn and experience the power of nature.”
Art has been intricately linked to nature for thousands of years. From pictographs on stone walls, to Ding Darling and the creation federal duck stamp program, utilizing art to build connections to nature is at the core of modern conservation. Fish Art captures the wonder and real-life experiences of stories told and lessons learned, inspiring visions for tomorrow.
For many students, the Fish Art Contest is their first experience learning about fish and fishing. 22 years ago, the Wildlife Forever contest was born from a child’s idea that has since inspired tens of thousands of youth to create, learn and become uniquely connected to the outdoors.
About the State-Fish Art Contest: The award-winning Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art® Contest, with support from Title Sponsor Bass Pro Shops, the US Forest Service and Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, brings children, art and aquatic conservation together! To enter, young artists create an original illustration of any official state-fish and written words detailing its behavior, habitat, and efforts to conserve it. Entries are categorized in four grade levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Educators nationwide utilize Fish On!, the full-color State-Fish Art Lesson Plan, integrating the disciplines of science and art.
See the winners in each category here.
The Sporting Life is a celebration of gundogs and horses, hunting and fishing as expressed through the rich and exuberant paintings of Joseph Sulkowski.
Acclaimed as one of America’s premier dog and sporting artists, Sulkowski shares his personal conversation with the outdoor life in a style of Poetic Realism. Influenced and guided by the hands of the Old Masters, he creates fluid brushstrokes that imbue his canvases with a compelling blend of light, atmosphere, and spatial effects that bring his passion for the sporting life into vivid focus for the viewer.
Whether it’s still-lifes, dog paintings or scenes of hunters and anglers, Joseph Sulkowski derives his inspiration from personal contact with the natural world. He carries out his visions through a lifelong discipline to his craft in which hand-ground paints, carefully prepared oils and varnishes, and handcrafted linen canvases and gessoed panels play a vital role in the quality of each work of art.
