The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is pleased to announce winners of the 2023 Vermont Student Fish Art Contest in partnership with Wildlife Forever.
The department received 311 submissions from Vermont students in grades K-12. Participants selected a fish species found in Vermont waters and submitted an illustration and one-page creative essay on the species.
“The Fish Art Contest is a way for Vermont students to use their creativity and strengthen their knowledge and connection with our environment,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Education Specialist Corey Hart. “This year’s artworks included many less-familiar species like the brown bullhead and slimy sculpin, as well as better known species like the brook trout. The results speak to the diversity of life in our aquatic ecosystems, and our students’ curiosity to explore that diversity.”
The following winners were selected for four age categories:
Grades: K-3
1st: Lyra Heft: pumpkinseed
2nd: Raine Chaleff: northern pike
3rd: Dorothy Krahn: smallmouth bass
Grades 4-6:
1st: Victor Stahler: pickerel
2nd: Emelia Brothers: walleye
3rd: Siler Russ: mottled sculpin
Grades: 7-9
1st: Hannah White: brown bullhead
2nd: Alexander Webber: northern pearl dace
3rd: Elizabeth Palfalv: slimy sculpin
Grades: 10-12
1st: Sloane Urette: eastern brook trout
Winners will receive a fishing rod and reel, and their art will be entered into a selection process to be featured in the department’s forthcoming 2024 Fishing Guide and Regulations publication.