Youth Arts in the Parks 2018 Art Contest Announced

Date: December 6, 2017
Contact: Jodi French-Burr, 304-574-2115

Hairy skullcap © Anna Ide, 8th grade, Ansted Middle School, Fayette County. 2017 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Contest – Best in Show (paper/wire sculpture).

Glen Jean, West Virginia — Nature can be a great inspiration! Local students can celebrate their creativity and interest in nature through the Youth Arts in the Parks 2018 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Contest. This contest and spring art exhibition allows students to serve as community leaders and raise awareness of Appalachia’s natural diversity and parks. Their works will inspire community connections to local ecology and outdoor stewardship. Some students will also have the opportunity to explore the business of art and its role in economic development.

New Contest Rules and Entry Platform: This art contest is open to all K – 12 grade students of Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers Counties. Youth can enter art through their school or independently. A variety of mediums can be used to create art inspired by a spring Appalachian wildflower found in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia. Updated 2018 contest rules, list of accepted wildflower species, new online entry procedures, special team challenge news, and some species photo references are available online at http://www.nps.gov/neri/youth-arts-in-the-parks.htm.  

Entry Time and Awards: Photo of contest entries must be submitted online between January 9 – February 7, 2018. Top entries will be showcased at spring 2018 art exhibit at Tamarack in Beckley and online. Contest winners will receive art supply awards at a special ceremony.

Spring Nature Festival: This Youth Arts in the Parks art contest is part of New River Gorge Wildflower Weekend, April 27 – 29, 2018. This annual spring event celebrates this region’s amazing ecology and is hosted by staff and volunteers of New River Gorge National River, Tamarack, and several southern West Virginia State Parks.

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