Learn about the 2025-26 Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest winners.

Attention, K–5 Teachers!

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), The State Botanical Garden of Georgia and TERN (DNR Wildlife Conservation Friends Group) encourage you and your students to participate in the 37th annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest! As part of DNR and TERN’s Kids for Conservation initiative, this art contest provides a unique opportunity for kindergarten through fifth-grade students to explore the wonders of Georgia’s native plants and animals through the 2026–27 theme: Wildlife Great and Small—We Need Them All!

We look forward to working with you and your students at the 37th annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest!

If you have any questions, please contact: Linda May (linda.may@dnr.ga.gov, (706) 319-0211) or Audrey Stadler Mitchell (astadler@uga.edu, (706) 583-0894).

Contest Theme, Rules and Entry Form

• 2026–27 brochure and entry form

Teacher Tips

Contest Rules: Start with a Local Contest at Your School

While following the Poster Contest Rules and Guidelines, instruct your students to design their own artwork based on this year’s contest theme: Wildlife Great and Small—We Need Them All! Artwork should depict at least one identifiable animal and/or plant native to Georgia. Include a description on the Poster Contest Entry Form, thereby demonstrating that the student understands their subject. Then arrange for a local competition of their artwork at your school or within your group (i.e., homeschool group, after-school camp, scout troop, library branch, etc.). NOTE: Individual entries from students will not be accepted; they must first compete in a school- or group-level contest. School or group judges will select first-, second- and third-place winners (award ribbons and Give Wildlife a Chance certificates are available—refer to Contest Awards section for details).

Participating schools/groups will then choose one first-place winner from each division and email photographs of the winning entries with accompanying entry forms to The State Botanical Garden of Georgia (see Poster Contest Rules and Guidelines below). The deadline to compete in the state-level contest is March 1, 2027. State-level entries will represent one or more of the four division categories described in the Poster Contest Rules and Guidelines section.

First-, second- and third-place winners will be chosen as state-level winners from each division level, and the winning artwork will be announced and showcased on Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division and State Botanical Garden media in May 2026.

Supporting Activities

Kindergarten:

• Discover living and non-living things found outside, including earth materials. Compare the similarities and differences of living things found. (SKE2, SKL1, SKL2)

1st Grade:

• Discuss the basic needs of plants and animals. What do plants and animals provide for each other? (S1L1)

2nd Grade:

• Discuss how the weather may help or harm plants and wildlife. Can people also help or harm the environment? If so, how? (S2E3; also S3L2)
• Draw or make a model showing the life cycle of a native species of wildlife. (S2L1)

3rd Grade: 

• Ask students to color the map on page 9 of "Exploring Georgia's Wildlife" coloring book (free download; then print). Use a different color for each ecoregion. Research the types of plants and animals that live in your ecoregion and how they're similar or different than species that live in Georgia's other ecoregions. (S3L1)

4th Grade:

• Conduct Project Learning Tree's "Water Wonders" activity. Each student is a water molecule traveling on a unique journey through the water cycle. (S4E3)
• Pick a native species and illustrate its role in a food chain. What would happen to the food chain/food web if that plant or animal became abundant, scarce or extinct? (S4L1)

5th Grade:

• Refer to Georgia's Biodiversity Portal to develop models that show how plants and animals are sorted into groups. For a list of rare species in your county, click on All Species and Communities > All Rare Natural Elements by Location > County. (S5L1)

Poster Contest Rules & Guidelines

Eligibility

The contest is open to individual students (no group drawings) in kindergarten through 5th grades. AI and computer generated artwork are not allowed.

Homeschool groups, public schools and private schools are encouraged to participate.

Schools/groups may enter one poster from any or all divisions:

• Division 1: Kindergarten
• Division 2: First and Second Grades
• Division 3: Third and Fourth Grades
• Division 4: Fifth Grade

Each school/group may enter no more than a total of four posters to the state-level contest (one entry per division). State-level entries are normally the artwork of the first-place school homeschool or other group winners.

Entry & Format Requirements

All state-level artwork entries must be submitted electronically. Any size flat artwork is fine as long as it can be photographed well (photos may be taken with a smart phone or digital camera). Collages and other three-dimensional artwork are not eligible. By submitting artwork, you are granting (on behalf of yourself and the student) permission for sponsors to publish, reproduce and distribute the artwork.

For each state level entry, submit a full-frame photo of the artwork a photo of the accompanying completed Entry Form (via email to Audrey S. Mitchell at The State Botanical Garden of Georgia no later than Friday, March 1, 2027: astadler@uga.edu)

ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday, March 1, 2027.

Contest Awards

Certificates & Ribbons

Educators may request Give Wildlife a Chance certificates for all students who participate in their local school or group competition, as well as first-, second-, and third-place ribbons to present to class, grade level or school group participants.

Email Audrey S. Mitchell (astadler@uga.edu) with the following information:

• School name
• Contest coordinator’s contact information (e-mail, street address, phone #)
• Total number of students participating in the contest by grade level
• Number of certificates, first place, second place and third place ribbons needed

NOTE: For a fast, convenient way to obtain certificates, teachers may download and print participation certificates.

State-level Awards

The artwork of first-, second- and third-place winners in the state-level contest will be showcased on GA DNR Wildlife Resources and State Botanical Garden of Georgia social media. Winners also will receive state-level award ribbons and may be recognized in other ways.