2012
George Montgomery/NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest Written by Kyle Jillson, Media Specialist, NRA Marketing/Media Relations
This past November a panel of judges at NRA headquarters carefully selected the winners of the 25th Annual George Montgomery/NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest. Entered by first through twelfth grade students across the United States, artists competedfor $7,000 in prize money. As always, our judges were stunned by the level of skill displayed in each entry and awarded winners, honorable mentions and Best In Show after scrutinizingly meticulous observation. Started in 1987 to help young wildlife enthusiasts practice their identification skills, The George Montgomery/NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest has grown into one of the United States’ premier contests for young artists. NRA membership is not required to participate and home BEST IN SHOW 1 Jaeha Woo, Alpharetta, Georgia CATEGORY I (Grades 1-3) First Place: 5 Alisa Jia, Chandler, Arizona Second Place: 12 Michelle Zhao, Fremont, California Third Place: 4 Aland Liu, Fremont, California CATEGORY II (Grades 4-6) First Place: 8 Hannah Chen, Thorofare, New Jersey Second Place: 6 Anna Chen, Germantown, Maryland Third Place: 11 Nancy Shao, Sugar Land, Texas
schooled students are also encouraged to enter. Students may not enter artwork depicting any animal of their choice as there are limitations on what constitutes a legal entry. Only North American game birds and animals that may be legally hunted or trapped are accepted for judging. Endangered species and non-game animals like eagles and snakes are not eligible subjects. Because the contest spans such a wide range of ages, artwork is divided into one of four categories, based on student grade, to prevent novices from being unfairly judged against more seasoned artists. Contest judges examine effort, creativity, anatomical accuracy and composition of each entry before selecting first, second and third place winners in each category. First,
CATEGORY III (Grades 7-9) First Place: 3 Justas Varpucanskis, Mokena, Illinois Second Place: 10 Joanne Zheng, Johns Creek, Georgia Third Place: 7 Alice Feng, Union City, California CATEGORY IV (Grades 10-12) First Place: 2 Marianne Lim, Norcross, Georgia Second Place: 13 Paige Rajnus, Malin, Oregon Third Place: 9 Ingrid Cai, Johns Creek, Georgia
second and third place recipients win $750, $500 and $250 respectively. An overall winner, selected without regard to category, receives a Best In Show award and a $1,000 prize. The George Montgomery/NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest received more than 800 entries this year thanks to its generous endowment from the George Montgomery Foundation. This donation has allowed the contest to increase in scope by increasing prize values and expanding school outreach. Participation is a great way to give aspiring artists experience working with new mediums and subjects. We are proud to have celebrated our 25th anniversary and look forward to another 25 years of great art.
HONORABLE MENTIONS Paul Adelgren, Monument, CO Rachel Ahn, Boyds, MD Sasha Balasingam, San Jose, CA Tyler Bay, Elyin, OK Noah Bounds, Shreveport, LA Janet Cui, Fremont, CA Sophia Du, Fremont, CA Soledad Green, Fairfax, VA Cortney Ha, Monterey Park, CA Gina Huang, Johns Creek, GA Jordan Irby, Cedar Hill, TX Amy Lim, Dallas, TX Kaleigh McDonald, Brighton, MI Maria McDonnell,Spotsylvania, VA Andy Mize, Falmouth, KY Albert Pei, Union City, CA Lenora Pousland, Austin, TX Sohinee Saha, Cupertino, CA Jessica Sheng, Palo Alto, CA Ariston Stitt, Desoto, TX Veda Thomas, Phoenix, AZ Jeffrey Wan, Novi, MI Eric Wang, Auburn, AL Kelly Wang, Johns Creek, GA Reanna Wang, Cumming, GA Catherine Zheng, Fremont CA Spring 2013 • NRA SPORTS MAGAZINE • 19