ATHENS – The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) has opened the Texas division of Wildlife Forever’s 2025 Fish Art Contest for entries.

The Fish Art Contest, accepting entries until Feb. 28, is part of an international conservation education program designed to foster youth interest in fish, fisheries and fishing.

“The Fish Art Contest does a tremendous job of exposing students across Texas to the wonders of fish and fisheries resources through the nexus of art,” said Tom Lang, TFFC director. “We always look forward to this time of year when we are once again amazed by the outstanding work and artistic interpretations of these young Texans.”

Participants must submit a completed entry form and an original illustration of a wild fish found in Texas. Applicants in grades 4-12 are also required to submit a one-page creative writing piece. Once the entrance form is submitted, applicants must mail their artwork to TFFC, 5550 FM 2495, Athens, TX, 75752. The physical artwork must have a landscape orientation between 8X10 inches and 9X12 inches and be postmarked no later than Feb. 28.

The Texas Fish Art Contest’s new category this year is the Special Species Award, which will showcase a focused species or set of species each year. One winner will be chosen from all entries and spotlighted at the TFFC. Students must correctly label their artwork and be identifiable as the correct focus species, but do not need to submit additional paperwork for consideration.

For the 2024-2025 contest year, the focus species is the Guadalupe Bass, the state fish of Texas.

This year’s award honors Shirley Watson and her third-grade class at Decatur Elementary School, which, in 1989, realized Texas had no official state fish. They traveled to Austin and testified in front of lawmakers about why a fish found “only in Texas” was the right fish for the job and their efforts paid off. Find out more about the state fish and how the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is working to restore this Texas icon to its native range.

Texas winners are recognized in the Texas Fish Art calendar, win scholarships, are featured in TPWD’s Fish Art Contest Flickr album and invited to a family fishing celebration to recognize their achievements.

Additionally, winners will earn automatic entry to Wildlife Forever’s national contest. Texas students may choose to enter national specialty awards with fish not found in Texas, however, they will not be eligible for Texas state awards due to the one entry per student limit.

“We have a unique opportunity to celebrate the talents of our Texas students, and the beauty of our diverse fish found in Texas,” said Kate Barkalow, Education and Interpretation Coordinator at TFFC. “In doing so, we also recognize the amazing efforts of our teachers and biologists who support them. To complete their piece of art, students research their fish, its habitat and conservation efforts being made to protect the species, forging a connection between the student and fish.”

Educators who wish to have their students enter the 2025 contest can find entry forms, rules, guidelines and more online. A lesson plan offers interdisciplinary curriculum including lessons and activities, a species identification section profiling each state fish, a glossary and student worksheets.

The Fish Art Contest is sponsored by Wildlife Forever, Bass Pro Shops, Rapala, U.S. Forest Service, Wonders of Wildlife, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, National Fish Habitat Partnership, U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Adventure Keen, International Game and Fish Association, REPYOURWATER and Western Native Trout Initiative.

Located in White Bear Lake, Minn., Wildlife Forever is a nonprofit multispecies conservation organization dedicated to conserving America’s wildlife heritage. Working at the grassroots level, Wildlife Forever has funded conservation projects in all 50 states, committing millions of dollars to “on-the-ground” efforts. Wildlife Forever supports habitat restoration and enhancement, land acquisition, research and management of fish and wildlife populations.

For more information, visit the TFFC Texas Fish Art Contest website and the Texas Fish Art Program Facebook page.