White Bear Lake, MN- Wildlife Forever and the Jay N. Darling Legacy Center announce the official species list for the 2021 Art of Conservation Songbird Art Contest™. In support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recently published Birds of Conservation Concern list, this new contest is focused on bringing awareness to the 30 percent decline of bird populations that has occurred over the last 50 years. Modeled after the award-winning Fish Art Contest, the Songbird Art Contest will work to engage youth across the world and inspire conservation through the arts.
The 2021 Songbird Art Contest features five species and includes:
These species were chosen to spark interest in youth who can view these birds in backyards, local parks or forests, and grasslands. Participants of the Songbird Art Contest will learn about the causes of songbird decline and how they can make a difference. Over 260 species have been identified as priority species to monitor. The Songbird Art Contest will highlight these species to increase public awareness and conservation best practices to address the trends.
“What better time to connect young people through their art to our precious songbirds. For the first time in 13 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has updated its list of Birds of Conservation Concern. Our Songbird Art Contest will help to illuminate and, in turn, help to protect these creatures who are so much a part of our musical web of life. Darling would be so pleased!” – Sam Koltinsky, Director at the Jay N. Darling Legacy Center.
With the influence of legendary artist and conservationist Jay Norwood Darling, The Songbird Contest will connect youth to the amazing wonders of the outdoors. Participants will have the ability to discover birds in their backyard, learn bird conservation, and discover how important birds are to biodiversity and a balanced ecosystem. Through art, students will have the opportunity to connect to nature empowering lifelong stewardship and bird conservation.
“Through the Art of Conservation Programs, we see lives enriched year after year. The accessibility to birds makes the Songbird Art Contest a powerful tool to have a positive impact on conservation for generations to come,” said Pat Conzemius, President & CEO of Wildlife Forever.
Participants have until November 30th of each year to submit their artwork along with their written essay. Their entry will need to be postmarked by that date and winners will be announced on National Bird Day, January 5th.
For more information about the Songbird Art Contest visit: www.SongbirdArtContest.org
To learn about how you can be part of The Songbird Art Contest, contact Priscila S. Rockwood at prockwood@wildlifeforever.org
The Art of Conservation®: The Songbird Art Contest™ is an art and writing competition created in partnership with the Jay N. Darling Legacy Center, focused on sharing the wonder and species of diversity of North American songbirds. To enter, artists create an original illustration from the official contest bird list and a written essay about lessons learned and efforts to conserve their chosen species. Entries are judged in four age levels: K-3rd, 4th-6th grades, 7th-9th grades, and 10th-12th grades. The Songbird Art Contest Adult Division will be announced in 2022. Learn more at www.SongbirdArtContest.org
About Jay N. Darling Legacy Center: The Jay N. Darling Legacy Center, based in Des Moines, Iowa, is a non-profit friends group to support, enhance and champion Jay N. Darling’s legacy and its partnership with Drake University. Jay Norwood Darling (1876-1962) was a 20th century two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, a journalist, an artist, a conservation activist and an advocate of sport hunting and fishing. Darling spent his life promoting the wise use of our natural resources and pursuing concrete actions to keep these values vibrant and alive. Darling left an extraordinary footprint across our nation’s landscape that inspires generations around the globe. Learn more about the work of the Jay N. Darling Legacy Center at www.jayndarlinglegacycenter.org/
