LINCOLN, Neb. – Students in kindergarten through 12th grade can discover the outdoors by participating in the second annual Nebraska Fish Art Contest.

The 2021 contest, which is sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Wildlife Forever and Bass Pro Shops, is accepting entries through March 31, 2021. Enter at statefishart.org.

This free international art and writing competition gives young people the opportunity to highlight their artistic talents while learning about fish, fishing and aquatic conservation. Participants can win prizes and recognition in Nebraska and internationally.

Young artists create an original illustration of a species from the Official Fish List and also submit a one-page creative writing detailing their species habitat and efforts to conserve it. Entries are categorized in four grade levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Educators nationwide use Fish On!, the State-Fish Art Lesson Plan, integrating the disciplines of science and art. Judging will be held in April and winners announced in May.

The 2021 contest also has many specialty award categories and opportunities for additional prizes and recognition, such as the Fish Habitat Award, Western Native Trout Award, and Guy Harvey Award.

“The Nebraska Fish Art Contest was quite popular in its first year,” said Larry Pape, Game and Parks aquatic education specialist. “Students really were engaged in incorporating art, science and conservation education in this fun project.”