NRA Announces Winners
of 2007 Youth Wildlife Art Contest
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This painting of a bull elk earned Ethan Robinson, 11, of Black Mountain, N.C., first-place in Category II of the 2007 NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The National Rifle Association has announced the winners of its 2007 Youth Wildlife Art Contest. A record number of entries, over 825, were submitted in this, the 20th year of the contest, which is divided into four categories based on school grade.
Contest entries could portray any North American game bird or animal that may be legally hunted or trapped. Endangered species and non-game animals, such as eagles and snakes, were not eligible subjects. Entries were judged on creativity, anatomical accuracy, and effort. First-, second-, and third-place winners were chosen in each of the following grade categories: first through third grades, fourth through sixth grades, seventh through ninth grades, and tenth through twelfth grades. Prizes were awarded in each division as follows: $500 for first place, $250 for second, and $100 for third.
“We've seen a lot of surprising talent over the 20 years of this contest. It's been gratifying to watch some individuals enter year after year, and gradually become more skillful,” said contest founder J.R. Robbins. “But equally important to me is the obvious respect all these young people have for wildlife. That is something all sportsmen share."
Along with Robbins, Harry Jaecks also acted as a judge. Jaecks is the Art Director of NRA Publications and an accomplished artist. While his hunting and wildlife illustrations in NRA magazines have captivated readers for years, he is probably better known for his paintings of rural life, landscape, and architecture, especially around the Chesapeake Bay area. A graduate of the Maryland Institute of Art, Jaecks' exhibitions have included the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, Johns Hopkins University, the Easton Waterfowl Festival and many other venues.
Every year the quality of artwork improves. This year was no exception. The judges had a difficult time sorting through hundreds of preeminent pieces to find a winner. There were some, though, that really stood out. This was the first year that Ethan Robinson entered the contest. The Black Mountain, North Carolina, native won first place for Category II and this was Robinson’s first ever painting.
“It took about one or two months to do my painting,” 11-year-old Robinson said. “It took a very long time because I put a bunch of detail into it. I wanted to do something that looked like it was from nature, like it actually came from the wilderness. The wilderness is not always pretty. Sometimes it’s dirty, sometimes it’s raggedy – it comes in all different shapes and sizes. That’s what I tried to show in my picture.”
The contest has always been popular with art teachers as a class project. For example, Bob Travers’ art students at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts in North Carolina, had two first-place winners, a second, and an honorable mention. Students from The Artistry, an extracurricular art program taught by Alison Thiessen of Union, Kentucky, took a third place and an honorable mention.
There were two repeat winners this year. Monica Burtley of Grants Pass, Oregon, won first place in Category IV this year and placed first in Category III last year. John Powell of Tulsa, Oklahoma, placed second in Category IV the past two years.
While the contest is an enjoyable exercise for all concerned, there is a very real educational value. Many of the young entrants hunt or are beginning to learn to hunt, and the contest helps them learn the identifying characteristics of game birds and animals, which will help them stay in compliance with game laws. At least one youngster used the contest as a steppingstone on his art career. Adam Grimm entered and did well in the contest as a teenager, and in 1999, at the age of 21, he became the youngest artist ever to win the Federal Duck Stamp Contest.
A complete list of winners and those who earned honorable mention status follows, and the original entries will be displayed at the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia. To view the winning artwork online, go to www.nrahq.org/youth/wildlife.asp.
The contest is supported through a generous gift from Jim Broering, President of AcuSport Corporation, for the creation of the James and Kathleen Broering Endowment.
NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest Winners
Category IV (Grades 10-12)
First Place: Monica Burtley, Grants Pass, Oregon
Second Place: John Powell, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Third Place: Rachel J. Hamel, Oconto Falls, Wisconsin
Category III (Grades 7-9)
First Place: Eric Kang, Livingston, New Jersey
Second Place: Rujia Zha, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Third Place: Leanna Cross, Buckingham, Virginia
Category II (Grades 4-6)
First Place: Ethan Robinson, Black Mountain, North Carolina
Second Place: Dawson Mims, Asheville, North Carolina
Third Place: Sarah Cross, Buckingham, Virginia
Category I (Grades 1-3)
First Place: Will Mims, Asheville, North Carolina
Second Place: Linfei Li, Palatine, Illinois
Third Place: Elliott Sipple, Burlington, Kentucky
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Mikala Greenlee, Hope, IN
- Corey Gunter, Natchitoches, LA
- Soo Yeon Kim, Potomac, MD
- Molly Knutz, McMinnville, OR
- Marshal Landrum, St. Paul, MN
- Liesl Lawrence, Georgetown, TX
- Crystal Liu, West Linn, OR
- William Liu, Davis, CA
- Megan Mahon, Shrewsbury, NJ
- Gabrielle Marshall, Candler, NC
- Sandra Mathis, Union KY
- Hosanna Myers, Whitewater, KS
- Karen Spitzer, Roanoke, VA
- Seth Spradlin, Westfield, IN
- Marian Ting, Roseville, CA
- Austin White, Germantown, TN
- Xiaochen Yuan, Highland Park, NJ
- Hye Jeong Yun, Oakton, VA
- Yu Zhang, Palo Alto, CA
