08-02-2007, 04:10 PM
Young Anglers Honored At Wildlife Forevers Ninth Annual State Fish Art Expo
Wildlife Forever unveiled the 2007 Art of Conservation Stamp design at the Mall of America as Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty declared July 21 "Wildlife Forever State Fish-Art Day" at the 2007 State-Fish Art Expo. Winning artists and families from 25 states were honored and National "Best of Show" winners were announced during a morning ceremony with the winning artwork from across the nation on display.
National "Best of Show" Winners
GRADES 4-6
Third Place Stanislov Nedzelskyi, NJ<br />
Second Place Dennis Zhang, NJ<br />
First Place Riley Nelson, MN<br />
GRADES 7-9
Third Place Nakita Samarin, TX<br />
Second Place Elizabeth Argot, MD<br />
First Place Caden Jones, UT<br />
GRADES 10-12
Third Place Siyu Qui, MD<br />
Second Place Brie Jenkins, MO<br />
First Place Benjamin Berkompas, WA<br />
2007 Art of Conservation Stamp Winner: Clayton Bowen, Eagle Lake, Texas
The National "Best of Show" winner, Benjamin Berkompas of Washington, received a $2,500 scholarship, and runner-up Brie Jenkins of Missouri a $1,000 scholarship to attend The Art Institutes International Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis. All state winners were awarded blue ribbons, fishing equipment and gift certificates for art supplies from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff.
"By attending the 2007 State-Fish Art Expo, the youth learned about aquatic habitat and conservation." says Douglas H. Grann, Wildlife Forever's President & CEO. "While fishing at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the winners connected with nature through the joys of angling. We're proud to collaborate with parents, educators and sponsors to share the great outdoors and celebrate fisheries conservation through the arts."
The 2007 Art of Conservation Stamp design was selected as "art gallery quality" from among thousands of submissions. Just as the federal government uses the proceeds from the federal duck stamp to fund wetlands conservation, sales of Wildlife Forever's Art of Conservationâ„¢ stamps fund conservation education and fishery projects across America. Clayton Bowen from Eagle Lake, Texas was awarded the honor by Zoe Ann Stinchcomb, Education Director of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center who traveled from Athens, TX to present their student the award.
Mall visitors witnessed conservation education first hand at the live sea lamprey exhibit, an aquatic invasive species threatening the ecosystems of the Great Lakes. Smokey Bear of the U.S. Forest Service and Blue Goose of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service distributed 5,000 free trees to the public. The free trees, provided by the U.S. Forest Service, promoted a "carbon free" day at Mall of America! The number one shopping destination in America provides a unique setting to share opportunities in conserving the natural resources of the country with a globally diverse audience.
The Minnesota Twins recognized the winning artists on the playing field of the Metrodome and the "˜Jumbotron' screen in a special pre-game ceremony the following day, July 22, before facing the Los Angeles Angels. The Twins provided complimentary tickets for all the winning artists and their families.
About the State-Fish Art Contest<br />
The Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest encourages young artists nationwide to create an illustration plus write a composition on behavior, habitat and efforts to conserve their state-fish. Entries are categorized by grade level: 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Winners are selected from each state in the three grade categories and invited to Mall of America in Minnesota to be honored at the State-Fish Art Expo.
Winning entries from each state were selected by a prestigious panel of judges including Joseph L. Marzano of the Art Institutes International Minnesota, Craig Dow of Big Island Outdoor, Kelly Hedtke of Rapala, Michelle Kelly of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Michael Hoff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For information on the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest, visit statefishart.com. Digital copies of winning artwork are available on request. Contact: Johanna Jones at (763) 253-0222 or jjones@wildlifeforever.org.
Wildlife Forever unveiled the 2007 Art of Conservation Stamp design at the Mall of America as Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty declared July 21 "Wildlife Forever State Fish-Art Day" at the 2007 State-Fish Art Expo. Winning artists and families from 25 states were honored and National "Best of Show" winners were announced during a morning ceremony with the winning artwork from across the nation on display.
National "Best of Show" Winners
GRADES 4-6
Third Place Stanislov Nedzelskyi, NJ<br />
Second Place Dennis Zhang, NJ<br />
First Place Riley Nelson, MN<br />
GRADES 7-9
Third Place Nakita Samarin, TX<br />
Second Place Elizabeth Argot, MD<br />
First Place Caden Jones, UT<br />
GRADES 10-12
Third Place Siyu Qui, MD<br />
Second Place Brie Jenkins, MO<br />
First Place Benjamin Berkompas, WA<br />
2007 Art of Conservation Stamp Winner: Clayton Bowen, Eagle Lake, Texas
The National "Best of Show" winner, Benjamin Berkompas of Washington, received a $2,500 scholarship, and runner-up Brie Jenkins of Missouri a $1,000 scholarship to attend The Art Institutes International Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis. All state winners were awarded blue ribbons, fishing equipment and gift certificates for art supplies from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff.
"By attending the 2007 State-Fish Art Expo, the youth learned about aquatic habitat and conservation." says Douglas H. Grann, Wildlife Forever's President & CEO. "While fishing at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the winners connected with nature through the joys of angling. We're proud to collaborate with parents, educators and sponsors to share the great outdoors and celebrate fisheries conservation through the arts."
The 2007 Art of Conservation Stamp design was selected as "art gallery quality" from among thousands of submissions. Just as the federal government uses the proceeds from the federal duck stamp to fund wetlands conservation, sales of Wildlife Forever's Art of Conservationâ„¢ stamps fund conservation education and fishery projects across America. Clayton Bowen from Eagle Lake, Texas was awarded the honor by Zoe Ann Stinchcomb, Education Director of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center who traveled from Athens, TX to present their student the award.
Mall visitors witnessed conservation education first hand at the live sea lamprey exhibit, an aquatic invasive species threatening the ecosystems of the Great Lakes. Smokey Bear of the U.S. Forest Service and Blue Goose of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service distributed 5,000 free trees to the public. The free trees, provided by the U.S. Forest Service, promoted a "carbon free" day at Mall of America! The number one shopping destination in America provides a unique setting to share opportunities in conserving the natural resources of the country with a globally diverse audience.
The Minnesota Twins recognized the winning artists on the playing field of the Metrodome and the "˜Jumbotron' screen in a special pre-game ceremony the following day, July 22, before facing the Los Angeles Angels. The Twins provided complimentary tickets for all the winning artists and their families.
About the State-Fish Art Contest<br />
The Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest encourages young artists nationwide to create an illustration plus write a composition on behavior, habitat and efforts to conserve their state-fish. Entries are categorized by grade level: 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Winners are selected from each state in the three grade categories and invited to Mall of America in Minnesota to be honored at the State-Fish Art Expo.
Winning entries from each state were selected by a prestigious panel of judges including Joseph L. Marzano of the Art Institutes International Minnesota, Craig Dow of Big Island Outdoor, Kelly Hedtke of Rapala, Michelle Kelly of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Michael Hoff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For information on the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest, visit statefishart.com. Digital copies of winning artwork are available on request. Contact: Johanna Jones at (763) 253-0222 or jjones@wildlifeforever.org.