Fighting Aquatic Invaders Through Art: 2025 Invader Crusader Award Winner Announced

Wildlife Forever and the Clean Drain Dry Initiative are proud to announce the 2025 Invader Crusader Award winner from the 2025 Fish Art Contest: Jamila Shin, an 11th-grade student from New Jersey. Her compelling artwork highlights the critical conservation story of the native lake sturgeon and the invasive round goby, depicted through the perspective of a scuba diver exploring their shared ecosystem.

In addition to the Invader Crusader Award, Jamila also earned the Art of Conservation Award and first place in the Great Lakes Specialty Award for the 10th–12th grade division. Her work stood out for its technical skill, creative composition, and ability to convey ecological themes through visual storytelling.

“Jamila’s work beautifully illustrates the power of young voices in conservation,” said Veronica Mangio, marketing and communications manager for Wildlife Forever. “Through her art, she not only showcases the beauty of native species like the sturgeon, but also draws attention to the ecological threats posed by invaders like the round goby. Her message is clear: our ecosystems need our protection, and creativity can inspire change.”

The round goby is one of the most detrimental invasive species in the Great Lakes. Native to the Black and Caspian Sea regions of Eurasia and first identified in North America in the early 1990s, they have since spread throughout all five Great Lakes. Their voracious appetite and rapid reproduction leads to competition for food and displacement of native fish including sportfish.

In her accompanying essay, Jamila reflected on this complex ecological relationship:

“In a way, lake sturgeons are conservationists themselves. They play a greater role in maintaining the environment because of their diet — they eat invasive species like the round goby, which I also included in my artwork. The environment cannot survive without them, and because we are the most intelligent species on Earth, I believe we all share a duty in helping the ecosystem and building a better world.”

“Jamila’s understanding of the round goby’s impact and her ability to visually and verbally communicate its threat to native ecosystems is what makes her a true Invader Crusader,” said Zach Burnside, invasive species program manager for Clean Drain Dry. “Her work embodies the educational mission of this award — raising awareness through creativity.”

The 2025 Fish Art Contest received more than 6,300 entries from 44 countries and nearly every U.S. state, reinforcing its global reach and growing impact. Through this annual program, students in grades K–12 are encouraged to engage with nature, conservation and the arts by submitting original fish artwork and written essays focused on aquatic ecosystems.

To view Jamila’s artwork and read her full essay, visit www.theartofconservation.org/invader-crusader-award-winner.