Texas Fish Art Contest for Students in Grades K to 12

Color drawing of a fish being caught
2023 Grades 10-to-12 category first place winner: Arim Jun of Carrollton. (Courtesy image)

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is now accepting entries for the Texas component of Wildlife Forever‘s national 2025 Fish Art Contest for students in grades K to 12.

Participants must submit a completed entry form and an original illustration of a wild fish found in Texas. Applicants in grades 4 to 12 must also submit a one-page creative writing piece.

Related lesson plans are also provided for educators.

Special Species Award

This year’s contest starts a tradition whereby — for each contest year — a Special Species Award will be given to the student artist whose work best illustrates a designated species (or set of species).

The designated species this year is the Guadalupe Bass, which is found only in Texas. This is also the official fish of Texas, thanks to convincing testimony to lawmakers in 1989 by Decatur third grade teacher Shirley Watson and her class.

Texas winners will be: 1) recognized in the official Texas Fish Art calendar, 2) awarded scholarships, 3) featured in Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Fish Art Contest Flickr album, 4) invited to a family fishing celebration to recognize their achievements and 5) entered in Wildlife Forever’s national contest.

View the 2023 winners here.

Deadline: Feb. 28.

More info:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20240930a