Statewide Winners announced In Give Wildlife A Chance Poster Contest

Twelve schoolchildren have been announced as statewide winners in the Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest.  About 1,400 kindergarten through fifth-grade students from 18 public, private and homeschool groups took part in the 33rd annual conservation art competition held by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.  Statewide winners in the four grade divisions include.

Division 1: Kindergarten  

  • First: Mia Sims, Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary, Athens
  • Second: Lawson Fuller, First Baptist Academy, Covington
  • Third: Silas O’Neal, Mountain View Elementary, Ellijay

Division 2: First-second grades   

  • First: Gabrielle Perry, Arnold Elementary, Jonesboro
  • Second: George Wheeler, Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary, Athens
  • Third: Leyana Amezqua, High Meadows School, Roswell

Division 3: Third-fourth grades

  • First: Lyla Maldonado Wells, Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary, Athens
  • Second: Katherine Caldwell, Timothy Road Elementary, Athens
  • Third: Gemma Fletcher, homeschool, Marietta

Division 4: Fifth grade

  • First: Jayden Mulamoottil, Athens Academy, Athens
  • Second: Gabriela Davila, Frances Meeks Elementary, Richmond Hill
  • Third: Juli Eickholt, Timothy Road Elementary, Athens

Participants entered at the local school level with drawings and paintings of native Georgia plants and animals depicting the 2022-23 contest theme “Wildlife Tales: True or False?” Students were encouraged to research commonly held beliefs about wildlife to determine if those beliefs were true and not a myth or misconception. The students then represented those findings in their artwork.  Entries were judged on aspects such as theme relevance, originality and the quality and impact of the artwork. First-place school-level entries proceeded to the state contest at the State Botanical Garden, a unit of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia in Athens.  Winning submissions are showcased on the DNR Wildlife Resources Division’s SmugMug site at https://bit.ly/3IjZYyX.