Educational Programming at TFFC

Fish Art Contest Promotes Conservation

Fish Art Contest

The Fish Art Contest sparks the imagination and provides valuable lessons about fish and the importance of conserving Texas' aquatic resources. Art, science, and creative writing foster a connection to the outdoors and inspire the next generation of stewards.
The contest is open to all youth in grades K-12.

To Enter

  1. Submit a completed entry form and an original illustration of a wild fish found in Texas. Participants in grades 4-12 must also submit a one-page creative writing piece.
  2. After you submit your entry form, mail your artwork to Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 5550 FM 2495 Athens, Texas 75752. Physical artwork must be between 10X8” and 12X9” and postmarked by February 28.

This program is part of Wildlife Forever’s national contest. Texas state winners will be automatically entered into the national contest.

Please note that Texas students may choose to enter national specialty awards with fish not found in Texas however, because of the one-entry per student limit, they will not be eligible for Texas state awards.

The contest deadline is February 28.

Contest Information, Rules, Entry Forms, National Special Awards, Lesson Plans

See 2024 Winners

Texas Fish Art Contest Reference Photo Album

New Facebook Page

Follow us on our new Facebook page dedicated to you and our Texas Fish Art Contest.

New Texas Special Species Award

The Special Species Award is a new category in the Texas Fish Art Contest that showcases a focus species or set of species each year. One winner will be chosen from all entries and spotlighted at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Students must correctly label their artwork for species and the artwork must be identifiable as the correct focus species. Students do not need to submit additional paperwork for consideration.

For the 2024-2025 contest year, the focus species will be the Guadalupe Bass, our state fish.

We are honoring Mrs. Shirley Watson and her third-grade class at Decatur Elementary School who, in 1989, realized that Texas had no official state fish. They traveled to Austin and testified in front of lawmakers why a fish found “only in Texas” was the right fish for the job. Their efforts paid off and the Guadalupe Bass has been our state fish ever since. Find out more about Guadalupe Bass and how we are working to restore this Texas icon to its native range: Guadalupe Bass Restoration

For Librarians

Liven up your space with these Texas Fish Art Contest book stack graphics! Libraries are a great resource for students to dive into our natural resources. In the Texas Fish Art Contest, students connect to our natural resources through art, science, and creative writing. Add relative call numbers to these posters to direct students where to begin their journey in your library and watch sparks fly.

The Fish Art Contest is sponsored by Wildlife Forever, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Rapala, U.S. Forest Service, Bass Pro Shops, Wonders of Wildlife, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, National Fish Habitat Partnership, and Western Native Trout Initiative

View and print this participation certificate (PDF).

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