News Release

2021 Youth Arts in the Parks Contest Now Open for Wildlife

painting of yellow wildflowers
Yellow Lady’s Slipper © Siera Underwood, 12th grade, Oak Hill High, Fayette County. 2020 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Contest – Best in Show.

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News Release Date: November 30, 2020

Contact: Jodi French-Burr, 304-575-6496

Glen Jean, West Virginia — Youth Arts in the Parks (YAP) 2021 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Contest time is here with a NEW creature feature. Local students can tap into their love of nature by entering this year’s contest in two categories, the classic handmade Wildflower Art and the NEW Digital Art Critter Challenge. As many students are spending more time online learning, this new contest category gives them a chance to spread their wings in creating both digital and handmade art.  Through YAP, students have the opportunity to serve as community leaders and raise awareness of Appalachia’s natural diversity and parks. Their works can inspire community connections to ecology, parks, and outdoor stewardship. Some students have the chance to explore the business of art and its role in economic development through this annual contest.  

2021 Contest Rules: This art contest is open to all K – 12-grade students of Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers Counties. Youth can enter art independently or through their school or youth organization. Students can use various mediums to create handmade art inspired by a spring Appalachian wildflower found in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia. They can also enter a digitally created wildlife piece. Updated 2021 contest rules, list of accepted wildflower and wildlife species, online entry procedures, NEW digital art critter challenge details, and some species photo references are available online http://www.nps.gov/neri/youth-arts-in-the-parks.htm.   

Contest Online Entry Window: Submit photos of art entries online between January 2 – February 8, 2021. A link to the online entry platform is on the contest website listed above. Top entries will be featured in the spring 2021 art exhibit online and at Tamarack in Beckley, West Virginia.  

Spring Nature Festival: This Youth Arts in the Parks contest is part of a spring 2021 nature event celebrating southern West Virginia’s diverse ecology. New River Gorge National River, Tamarack, and several West Virginia State Parks partner to host this public event in April and May. The 2021 spring festivities are currently in development and will feature new programs, along with fun tips to help each of us discover more about nature while in the outdoors and online. Coordinators will announce event details as this celebration draws near. 

Join this celebration of ecology through art now with Youth Arts in the Parks



Last updated: November 30, 2020

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