The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in collaboration with Wildlife Forever, has opened the 2025-26 Florida Fish Art Contest. The contest is available to students in grades K-12 throughout the state and aims to engage children with Florida’s native fish species and aquatic environments through art and writing.
Students are invited to select a native fish species from a list provided on the FWC website, research its habitat, behavior, and conservation needs, and create an original handmade artwork of the chosen fish. Digital art is not permitted. For those in fourth grade and above, participants must also submit a one-page creative writing piece about their selected species.
A first-place winner and runner-up will be named for each grade bracket—kindergarten through third grade, fourth through sixth grade, seventh through ninth grade, and tenth through twelfth grade—in two categories: best illustration of a freshwater fish species and best illustration of a saltwater fish species.
According to the FWC, “All first-place winners and runners-up will receive a variety of prizing and recognition from the FWC. Details on prizing can be found on our website.”
Submissions for the 2025-26 contest are open until February 28, 2026. Additional information about educational resources, submission guidelines, and entry forms can be found at MyFWC.com/FishArt.
The national Fish Art Contest has involved more than 85,000 young people globally in recent years.
