IDEAS TO GET STARTED
Any kind of wildlife-inspired work is eligible for the contest. If you don't quite know where to start, here's some prompts or ideas to get you started. If you are going to go outside to view wildlife, please ask/tell a parent and keep a safe distance from fast-moving water, or hazardous
1. What is your most memorable wildlife encounter in Utah. Describe it. How did it make you feel?What did you learn? Now draw or paint that.
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2. What is the best Utah wildlife story you've ever heard? Interview a parent or grandparent for their best story; get all the details. Either submit the audio recording in the digital storytelling category or write it down and submit it in the writing category.
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3. If you could be any Utah wild animal, what would it be? Why? What would you do? How would you survive? Use your imagination to write a poem, story, or song lyrics about it.
4. Watch your local birds. How do they act with each other? What characteristics can you see? Make a bird mask out of cardboard, paper, glue and markers.
5. If you live in a rural area, go outside and sit, wait, watch and listen. What animals do you see? Take photographs or video with a phone camera or draw it.
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6. If you live along the Wasatch Front, you can go into the nearby foothills or up a local canyon. Or, go to Tracy Aviary, or Red Butte Garden, or Hogle Zoo, or Ogden Nature Center, or Jordan River Parkway. Find somewhere quiet. Sit. Wait, watch and listen. Find inspiration. Translate what you felt or saw into a story or a painting.
UTAH SPECIES
Bonneville cutthroat trout
Colorado River cutthroat trout
Yellowstone cutthroat trout
Bear River cutthroat trout
Mountain whitefish
Rocky Mountain Elk
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
Desert bighorn sheep
Brine shrimp
Shorebirds
Waterfowl
Raptors
Songbirds
Bison
Coyote
Mountain lion
Black bear
Pronghorn
Moose
Mule deer
Desert tortoise
Gila monster
Rattlesnake
Mountain goat
Condor
Gray fox
Skunk
Meadowlark
Canyon wren
Redtail hawk
Sage grouse
Bobcat
Pika
Cottontail rabbit
Pygmy rabbit
White-tailed jackrabbit
Black-tailed jackrabbit
Badger
Northern River otter
Ermine
Beaver
Porcupines
Marmot
Tiger salamander
Western Chorus frog
Northern leopard frog
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Handmade Art (2-D & 3-D)
Utah's wildlife is inspiring to behold. We can't wait to see what kind of art Utahns make that is inspired by local species. Don't forget to spend extra time working on the details! This category includes drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, leatherwork, collage, masks, carved totems, etc.
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Photography
Taking a picture with a phone or DSLR camera is a great way to document and celebrate Utah wildlife. Submit it! Photographs with minor coloring/shadow adjustments are allowed for this category. Images taken with a DSLR or phone camera are accepted in this category. Image files that have been digitally altered compositionally are not eligible for this category and must be submitted in digital art category.
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Writing/Stories
Tell us about your most memorable wildlife encounter. How did it make you feel? What did you learn? Any kind of wildlife-related writing is accepted for this category, as long as it is original work. This includes poetry, nonfiction, stories, a nature journal entry, or any other kind of wildlife-inspired written work.
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Music/Sound
This category includes any original written music or songs that are inspired by Utah wildlife. Written entries must include a recorded version of the piece. If you've written lyrics, but no music, please submit in writing category. This category also includes recorded audio of animal calls and spoken word storytelling.
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Videography
Have you witnessed some animals doing incredible things? Get it on video? Submit it to the contest! Any video clip or compilation of video clips are eligible for submission in this category. Video clips that are edited with added audio to tell a story, or include animation, should be submitted in the digital storytelling category.
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Digital Art
The digital art category includes any images that have created with aid from graphic design software (Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, etc.). If some processes used are handmade, but some part of the process utilizes software to create, it is digital art. Photographs that have been altered beyond color adjustments, etc. are also included in this category. AI-generated images are not allowed.
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Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling includes video, audio and/or animation files that have been edited together to tell a story about the wildlife of Utah.
MEDIA CATEGORIES
Digital category prizes funded through a Community Impact Grant from:
