Endangered Species Youth Art Contest
The 2026 Youth Art Contest is now closed – winners listed below!
Calling all young artists, unleash your creativity and help endangered species! Join us for our 9th annual Endangered Species Youth Art Contest starting February 1, 2026. In celebration of Endangered Species Day (May 15, 2026) Roger Williams Park Zoo is accepting art entries from local K-12 grade students and homeschoolers in the New England area depicting threatened and endangered species. Art can inspire others to make deep connections and empower change. Together we hope to raise awareness about the importance of saving endangered species and their wild habitats. Let your artwork roar with passion and inspire others to join us in protecting these remarkable animals and their habitats.
Entries must be received by Sunday, April 5, 2026. Winners will be notified by email before May 1, 2026 with a public announcement made on Endangered Species Day, May 15. See below for complete contest guidelines, past winners, prize packages, and submission instructions.
Special thank you to supporting partner:
Art Contest Guidelines
- All entries are to be submitted electronically. Online Submission Form >
- Accepted Mediums: Physical Drawing with any media or Digitally created Artwork
- Students’ artwork must be original. Computer-generated/AI and traced images are not allowed and will NOT be judged.
- All artwork MUST depict threatened/endangered species.
- Each art entry must also include a short explanation (3-5 sentences) as to why saving your chosen species/subject from extinction is important.
- Students may submit more than one entry.
- Deadline: Entries must be received by Sunday, April 5, 2026. Late entries will not be judged.
Please Note: All artwork becomes the property of Roger Williams Park Zoo. Submission of the artwork grants the Zoo a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish your student’s/child’s artwork in our editorial, educational, and promotional print and digital materials, and on social media. All published artwork will be credited “Artist’s Name.”
Questions? Please contact Corrie Ignagni, Manager of Digital Communications at cignagni@rwpzoo.org. Thank you!
- GRAND PRIZE (Judges Choice)
- One (1) Family RWPZoo membership (a $169 value; or extra year added to current Zoo membership. Renewal based on equal or lesser valued-membership)
- An adopt-an-animal package of your choice
- One (1) $100 gift card to Jerry’s Artarama of Providence
- Artwork custom framed by Jerry’s Artarama of Providence and displayed in the Zoo’s Hasbro’s Our Big Backyard exhibit until May 2027.
- GRADE CATEGORY WINNERS (Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12) Each grade-winner shall receive:
- Six (6) General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo
- One (1) $25 gift card to Jerry’s Artarama of Providence
- Artwork custom framed by Jerry’s Artarama of Providence and displayed in the Zoo’s Hasbro’s Our Big Backyard exhibit until May 2027.
- HONORABLE MENTIONS (Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12) Each grade-honorable mention shall receive:
- Four (4) General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo
- An award certificate
All winners and honorable mentions artwork will be highlighted on the Zoo’s website and social media pages, and in the Zoo’s summer WILD Magazine issue.
2026 Winners:
Congratulations to the student winners of the 2026 Endangered Species Youth Art Contest! The Zoo’s 9th annual contest received hundreds off art submissions from creative and talented young artists from across New England. Big thanks to the countless teachers who helped their students take part in this year’s contest and for helping us raise awareness of endangered species everywhere. Thank you to our co-partner, Jerry’s Artarama of Providence, for their continual support. See their works in the Zoo’s Big Backyard exhibit from June 2026 through May 2027.
2026 Judges’ Choice Winner: Olivia Liu (Grand Cayman Blue Iguana, 6-8 grade)
I picked this type of species to paint because overall, I enjoy reptiles, and I find them fascinating, and often like researching about them. Something that stood out to me about this reptile was its unique color, and its habitat.
9-12 Grade Winner: Izzy McCarthy (Mountain Bongo)
The Mountain Bongo is a crucial animal to their environment; their removal could do numbers on the forests they live in and in turn destroy the ecosystem upheld by them. Also, the species is beautiful!
6-8 Grade Winner: Lucien Bourque (Pygmy Hippo)
Pygmy hippos and all other species are important to save because they maintain a specific ecological balance. Sometimes we get lost in the cuteness of a species and forget that they all need to be taken care of. Everyone deserves a chance to see these species and if we don’t do our part to save them, future generations may not get the chance to see the Pygmy hippos.
3-5 Grade Winner: Eva Zhao (Javan Leopard)
Saving this species (Javan leopard) is important because they play a very important role in helping the environment and the ecosystem. They prevent overgrazing, protect the forests that provide important resources like clean water and fresh air, and control diseases from spreading throughout their habitats by hunting the weak and sick prey. These are some reasons how Javan leopards are important to the environment and why they need to be saved.
K-2 Grade Winner: Jackson Oldham (Rainforest Frogs)
Frogs are endangered because of cutting trees down and pollution. It is good to save them because they eat mosquitoes and are food for other species.
2026 Honorable Mentions:
Grade 6-8 Honorable Mention: Andrea Zhang (cerulean warbler) 
Grade 9-12 Honorable Mention: Catalina Warner (Blue-billed currassow) 
Grade 6-8 Honorable Mention: Emma Yoonji Zheng (leopard) 
Grade K-2 Honorable Mention: Tiffany Liang (red panda) 
Grade 3-5 Honorable Mention: Zihe Lu (red panda)
Past Endangered Species Art Contest Winners:
2025 Judges’ Choice Winner: Mary Koushiappas (Blue whale, 3-5 grade)
Saving Blue Whales is very important because they play a huge part in our ecosystem. To be specific, the Blue Whale is the largest animal living on earth today. Despite their size, they eat tiny krill and shrimp like crustaceans. If the Blue Whale became extinct there would be too many krill and crustaceans which would cause an imbalance in the sea’s delicate ecosystem. A message I would like to emphasize is that man-made pollution in the sea, especially micro plastics, is a major contributor as to why Blue Whales are endangered. Micro plastics come from a lot of household packaging and consumer products. Using paper bags instead of plastic is a start to protecting our oceans. My piece of artwork is made from reused plastic items that can be found in any household. To conclude, I believe that we need to be more careful with the environment and try to protect our oceans, and all its inhabitants, especially the Blue Whale!
9-12 Grade Winner: Tiffany Weng (Andean bear)
6-8 Grade Winner: Jacquelyn Shen (Desert rain frog)
3-5 Grade Winner: Varun Mohankumar (Bengal tiger)
K-2 Grade Winner: Ellianna Dolan (Cheetah)
2025 Honorable Mentions:
2024 Judges’ Choice Winner: Bella Tan (Golden-cheeked warbler, 3-5 grade)
Saving the endangered golden-cheeked warbler will help us protect an abundance of plants and animals in the Texas Hill Country.