Statewide Winners Announced in Give Wildlife A Chance Poster Contest

Over 1,900 kindergarten through fifth-grade students from 32 public, private and homeschool groups took part in the 36th conservation art competition held by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Statewide winners in the four grade divisions include:

Division 1: Kindergarten

• First: Raccoon family in a tree cavity by Leia Adams, Kay R. Pace School of Arts, Jonesboro 
• Second: Red fox mother with kits by Olivia Nunez, First Baptist Academy, Covington 
• Third: Mother otter with young by Olivia Lundy, Garden Hills Elementary, Atlanta

Division 2: First-second grades

• First: Musk turtle adult and young on a log by Sian Lee, East Side Elementary, Marietta 
• Second: Bald eagle with nest by Woody Shepherd, Garden Hills Elementary, Atlanta 
• Third: White-tailed deer fawn by Careyana Hazen, Fairview Public Library, Stockbridge

Division 3: Third-fourth grades

• First: Eastern chipmunk with young by Elias Krynetskiy, Lakeview Academy, Gainesville
• Second: Mockingbird feeding nestlings by Rayden Bellew, First Baptist Academy, Covington
• Third: Bluegill life cycle by Posie Harris, Outdoor Learning School, Toccoa

Division 4: Fifth grade

• First: North Atlantic right whale with calf by Yewon Kang, East Side Elementary, Marietta
• Second: Great egret feeding young, Jordyn Monroe, Kay R. Pace School of Arts, Jonesboro
• Third: Luna moth and caterpillar by Emma Rodriguez, Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts, Savannah

Participants entered at the local school level with drawings and paintings of native Georgia plants and animals depicting the 2025-26 contest theme “Welcome to the Wild World, Little Ones!” Students were encouraged to research the various ways wildlife come into the world and are raised. They then created artwork to reflect what they learned.

Entries were judged on aspects such as theme relevance, originality and the quality and impact of the artwork. First-place school-level entries proceeded to the state contest at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, a unit of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Winning submissions are showcased on the DNR Wildlife Resources Division’s SmugMug.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is a home to a variety of collections, displays, trails and programs designed to delight and educate teachers, children and the public. The garden also administers the Connect to Protect program, which emphasizes that even small native-plant installations can help maintain biodiversity in urban and suburban landscapes. Learn more at UGA's Botanical Garden or call (706) 542-1244. The public garden is a gift to visitors and Georgia residents. Parking and admission are free.

The Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest is sponsored by the DNR Wildlife Resources Division, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network, or TERN, friends group of DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section.

Georgians can support important conservation, recreation and education efforts as well as other programs for Georgia’s nongame wildlife by purchasing or renewing a bald eagle or monarch butterfly license plate or donating directly to the Wildlife Conservation Section. This agency depends largely on fundraisers for its mission to conserve wildlife, native plants and natural habitats.