State-Fish Art Contest Best in Show Winner

And so the student becomes the master.

McKenna Litynski, 12, likes to draw, but she admits her older sister, Brenna, is the better artist and the one who teaches her most of what she knows. Both are pretty talented, though, especially considering they’ve each been state winners in previous years of the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest presented by FLW. They both did so again in 2015, but McKenna did something this year that her older sister hasn’t: She won best in show.

“I was really surprised,” McKenna says. “I didn’t expect to win.”

McKenna’s winning entry was a colored-pencil drawing of a heron feasting on a school of American shad. While most winners only had fish in their pieces, McKenna choose to add the heron to be creative and to set hers apart.

Each entry also requires a written essay to accompany it. The Maryland native again did something a bit different, writing a song about the American shad and submitting a recording of her singing it.

This marked the 17th year of the contest, which allows young artists grades K-12 the chance to show off their skills for a chance at recognition and prizes. The entries consist of two parts: an illustration of any state fish, and a personally written essay. Entries are then judges by a panel composed of wildlife artists, outdoor writers, fisheries specialists and national celebrities, who select three winning pieces of art from each Grade Category in each state. 

All the first-place state winners for art and national winners for writing are displayed at the Forrest Wood Cup expo. In addition to honoring each of the artists winning first place in his or her state, 29 national awards were announced and presented at the expo, including the best-in-show award given to McKenna.

“My siblings and I always enter for the love of nature,” McKenna adds.

For more information, visit wildlifeforever.org/contest.