SOCIAL CIRCLE — Like birds? Love to draw? Georgia’s Fourth Annual Youth Birding Competition is offering a T-shirt Art Contest for resident kids.
A winner will be picked from each of these age categories: primary (pre-K-second grade), elementary (3rd-5th), middle school (6th-8th) and high school. One winner will be awarded the grand prize: Their artwork will be used for the 2009 YBC T-shirt and they’ll receive a $100 gift card to Michaels. The three other winners will each receive a $50 Michaels gift card, good for art supplies.
Entering is easy. Participants must draw or paint their favorite Georgia bird on paper or sheet canvas at least 8-by-10 inches but no larger than 11-by-17 inches. Keep in mind that bold colors may show up better on a T-shirt than faint pencil drawings. Mail the entry in a large envelope - flat, not folded - by March 16, 2009, to: Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, YBC Art Contest, 543 Elliott Trail, Mansfield, GA 30055.
On a separate piece of paper taped to the back of the artwork, include the participant’s name, school, age, grade level, mailing address, telephone number, parent or teacher’s e-mail address, and species of bird depicted. The birds illustrated must be native to Georgia. Only one entry per person is allowed, and it must be the child’s artwork. Participation in the Youth Birding Competition is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest. Competitors in the birding event can pick up their submissions at the banquet at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center on April 26, where select artwork will be displayed and winners announced.
Artwork from children and teens who do not take part in the Youth Birding Competition can either be picked up at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield during normal business hours or returned by mail but only if a large, self-addressed envelope with three first-class stamps is included with the submission.
The 2009 Youth Birding Competition starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 26. Groups may use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia. Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must arrive at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Sunday. While judges examine and score checklists, participants will enjoy a live animal show followed by an awards banquet packed with prizes.
For more information on the T-shirt Art Contest, visit www.georgiawildlife.com, click "Get Involved" and then "2009 Youth Birding Competition." Or, contact the competition’s art contest coordinator, Linda May, at (770) 784-3059 or linda.may@gadnr.org.