Last year's manatee decal, available at Florida tax collector offices.

Artists apply here! This spring brings two opportunities to showcase your creative skills for the sake of endangered wildlife.

Make a manatee

High school students across the state of Florida are invited to create a piece of manatee artwork that will be used on the state’s 2011-2012 manatee decal. The decals are available at any Florida county tax collector’s office, and money from the sales supports manatee-protection efforts, such as rehabilitation, rescue, research, enforcement and public education. Your depiction could be displayed across the state!

Don’t wait to get those creative juices flowing! The deadline for this contest, sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, is January 28, 2011. Click here for contest details and to see decals from previous years.

Allesandra Acierno of Charleston, SC was a finalist in last year's Youth Art Contest

Sketch a species in trouble

In this national competition, students from kindergarten to high school have the chance to participate in the annual Endangered Species Youth Art Contest, part of the sixth national Endangered Species Day, celebrated on and around May 20, 2011. Started by Congress in 2006, Endangered Species Day is a celebration of the nation’s wildlife and wild places.  The Youth Art Contest gives students an opportunity to learn about endangered species and express their knowledge through artwork.

Entries are due by March 15, 2011. The contest is organized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Endangered Species Coalition, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art/ University of New Orleans. For more information and to see last year’s winners, click here.

So put your pencil (or crayon, or paintbrush) to the drawing board and show endangered species how much you care!

Learn more:

See how Defenders is working to protect imperiled and endangered species across the country.

Get Updates and Alerts