News Release

2025 Youth Arts in the Parks Contest Now Open

News Release Date: November 29, 2024 Glen Jean, West Virginia — Youth Arts in the Parks (YAP) 2025 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Contest time is here! Local students can tap into their love of nature by entering this year’s contest in two categories, the classic Wildflower Art and the Digital Art Critter Challenge. The contest tradition of creating handmade flower art continues, while wildlife artists must make their art digitally on a computer. Three-dimensional handmade wildflower art entries will again be accepted this year. Through the resulting spring nature exhibits, YAP students help raise awareness of Appalachia’s natural diversity plus inspire community connections to parks and outdoor stewardship. Some students will also have the chance to explore the business of art and its role in economic development.
 
2025 Contest Rules: This art contest is open to all K – 12th grade students of Fayette, Mercer, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers Counties. Youth can enter art independently or through their school or youth organization. Artists can use varied mediums to create handmade art inspired by a spring Appalachian wildflower that grows in the New River Gorge area.  Students can also enter a digitally created wildlife piece. Updated 2025 contest rules, list of accepted wildflower and wildlife species, online entry procedures, 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 November 25, 2024 – February 4, 2025. A link to the online entry platform is on the contest website listed above. Top entries will be featured in the spring 2025 art exhibit online and at Tamarack Marketplace in Beckley, West Virginia.

2025 Spring Nature Festival: This Youth Arts in the Parks contest is part of a spring nature event celebrating southern West Virginia’s diverse ecology. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Tamarack Marketplace, several West Virginia State Parks, and many neighboring community partners host this public event each spring. These 2025 festivities are currently in development. This event will feature fun field trips, arts initiatives, and talks to help people discover more about nature while outdoors. Online nature features will inspire nature discovery for those near and far. Coordinators will announce event details as this celebration draws near.
 
Join in this celebration of ecology through art now with Youth Arts in the Parks!