Courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

WISCONSIN – Calling all Wisconsin fourth, fifth and six graders: It’s time to get out your paint and colored pencils for the third annual poster contest to help the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) spread the word to Keep Wildlife Wild (www.dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/orphan).

The goal of the contest is to create a poster that teaches the importance of enjoying and observing wildlife in the wild and not keeping wildlife in homes or as pets.

First-place poster contest winner Mabel Dance in the fifth-grade category in 2020.

“The young artists never disappoint,” said Amanda Kamps, DNR wildlife health conservation specialist and head of the Keep Wildlife Wild initiative. “The artwork and creativity we saw in the first two years of the poster contest impressed all the judges. It’s inspiring to know these future leaders understand the importance of keeping our wildlife wild.”

Each entry must be prepared according to the poster contest’s rules. Please read the requirements carefully as excellent submissions have been disqualified in the past because of missed requirements.

Poster contest rules

• The poster entry must contain the words: “Keep Wildlife Wild 2021” and follow the theme of the Keep Wildlife Wild tagline: “A young wild animal’s best chance for survival is with its mother!”
• All posters must consist of original artwork of Wisconsin native wildlife.
• Posters must fit an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper.
• Posters must be submitted individually; no team creations.
• New this year: all posters must be submitted electronically.

Submission deadline

• To be considered, submissions must be received by Feb. 12, 2021.
• There is no grace period.

The winners

• First, second and third-place finalists will be selected for each grade level.
• Finalists will be announced during the fourth-annual Keep Wildlife Wild week in April 2021.

Visit www.dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/orphan to view winning posters from last year’s contest and additional details about contest rules and submission procedures.

The Keep Wildlife Wild initiative began in 2014, with a focus on providing information about wildlife species natural behaviors, tips on how to determine if a wild animal is truly orphaned and what to do if someone finds a wild animal in need of assistance.