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Restore the Wild Artwork Competition

2025 General Rules and Guidelines

We welcome artists to create and submit an original piece of art (not photography) for the 2025 Restore the Wild Artwork Competition! Artwork for Restore the Wild should reflect Restore the Wild’s mission to restore and create natural habitats vital to the survival of Virginia’s wildlife.

The subject focus of 2025’s artwork is the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus), fish passage and clean water habitats. Atlantic sturgeon seem like a relic of the past, with their huge size and armor-like appearance, and they’re inextricably linked with Virginia’s history, having played an important role for Native American and colonial human populations. Due to over-harvest and water pollution, they were rarely seen in Virginia’s tidal rivers since the mid-1900s, and efforts to revitalize their populations have been underway for more than 50 years. They were listed as federally endangered in 2012, but in recent years sturgeon have been seen breaching and swimming in the James and other rivers again.

Read more about the Atlantic sturgeon’s story in “Ghosts No More,” an article from the March/April 2021 Virginia Wildlife magazine.

Atlantic sturgeon are listed as a Tier 1b Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan. The ranking of 1b indicates the species has critical conservation need and managers have only identified research needs or “on the ground” conservation actions for the species that cannot be implemented due to lack of personnel, funding, or other circumstance.

A panel of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), and other conservation organizations or artists deemed appropriate by the DWR, will judge all submitted art.

Judges will evaluate entries according to the criteria outlined in these rules and guidelines including, but not limited to:

  • accuracy of the subject species and its habitat
  • composition and esthetic merit
  • inclusion of any mandatory elements or theme
  • overall impression

Rules and Guidelines:

  1. Complete submission form including uploading a photo of your artwork, then send us your artwork (details below).
  2. Contest judges and their immediate relatives are ineligible to submit entries.
  3. Any artistic style or medium accepted, except for photography, but it must be two-dimensional art, able to hang on a wall. Design may also include DWR’s Restore the Wild logo (file available here), but this is not required.
  4. Each artist may submit no more than two original works and are limited to one entry per category. I.e., adults may submit entries in Natural History Illustration and Artistic Expression; youth may submit to their Youth age group and either Artistic Expression or Natural History Illustration.
  5. Each submission must be an original work of the artist’s own creation. While photographs and published images may be used as references, the work submitted must be original and not a copy.
  6. Artists should be prepared to submit the following information about their artwork on the submission form:
    • Artwork title – title should be more than simply the species name and should communicate something about the artist’s unique piece
    • Artwork medium – Artists must describe the medium used to create the piece (e.g. pastel, charcoal, digital, oil, etc.) and must declare if Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used at any point of the creation.
    • Dimensions (length x width)
    • Youth submissions must provide both the artist’s name and an adult guardian’s name and contact information.
  7. Artists may submit artwork to one or two of the following categories:
    • Natural History Illustration (no age restriction) – Artists should create realistic scenes depicting the species in its natural habitat. Judges will be looking for a piece of art that celebrates Virginia’s wild spaces and Restore the Wild’s mission to restore and create natural habitats vital to the survival of Virginia’s wildlife. The Atlantic sturgeon must be the dominant feature/ obvious focus of the design and be anatomically accurate. It should also be noticeably larger than any other elements. Artists are encouraged to include other aquatic wildlife species that may be found in the Atlantic sturgeon’s habitat, but again, the Atlantic sturgeon should be the primary focus. Any fish or other wildlife species depicted should be of those native to Virginia and relevant to the Atlantic sturgeon’s natural habitat.
    • Youth (ages 10 and under) – Artists should create scenes depicting the Atlantic sturgeon in its natural habitat and celebrating Restore the Wild’s mission to restore and create natural habitats vital to the survival of Virginia’s wildlife. The Atlantic sturgeon must be the dominant feature in the design. The species should be noticeably larger than any other elements. Artists are encouraged to include other wildlife species that may be found in the Atlantic sturgeon’s habitat, but again, the Atlantic sturgeon should be the primary focus. Any specific fish or other wildlife species depicted should be of those native to Virginia and relevant to Atlantic sturgeon habitat.
    • Youth (ages 11–17) – Artists should create scenes depicting the Atlantic sturgeon in its natural habitat and celebrating Restore the Wild’s mission to restore and create natural habitats vital to the survival of Virginia’s wildlife. The Atlantic sturgeon must be the dominant feature in the design. The species should be noticeably larger than any other elements. Artists are encouraged to include other wildlife species that may be found in the Atlantic sturgeon’s habitat, but again, the Atlantic sturgeon should be the primary focus. Any specific fish or other wildlife species depicted should be of those native to Virginia and relevant to Atlantic sturgeon habitat.
    • Artistic Expression (no age restriction) – Your creative interpretation of Atlantic sturgeon and their habitat.
  8. Work must be two dimensional and no bigger than 20″ in either direction (including matte or frame). Work must be ready to hang on the wall. If framed, it must have a wire. If matted, it will be hung with clips. If framed, please do NOT use glass or clear plastic, as we need to be able to photograph your work without glare.
  9. Signatures are not permitted on the front of your artwork.
  10. DWR may reproduce images of the artwork. DWR is authorized to sell, distribute, display, reproduce, or otherwise use said images at its discretion. Artworks selected for use as the Restore the Wild sticker or fine-art print may have the Restore the Wild graphic/text added to it, but not in a way that will obscure any major portion of the works.
  11. While every effort will be made to handle the work with care and protect it, neither DWR nor The Gallery at Main Street Station will be held accountable for minor damage (e.g. dings, creases, indentations) caused in the process of the exhibition or in transport.
  12. All entries must be received by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources before 5 p.m. on February 3, 2025. Entries postmarked by February 1, 2025 will also be accepted.

Winning Artworks

  1. One winner will be selected from each category.
  2. Winners will be announced at the opening reception on Friday, March 7, 2025.
  3. Additionally, we will be selecting two pieces of art, one to be used as a Restore the Wild sticker and one to be used as a fine-art print, to help promote Restore the Wild in 2025 and to provide gifts to Restore the Wild members.
  4. All winners will receive the following recognitions:
    • Their winning artwork posted on Facebook and Instagram with the announcement of the artist as the winner of the Restore the Wild annual artwork contest, either tagging them or including a link to their website
    • A short article about the artist and their work in DWR Notes from the Field email newsletter, which will include a link to their website
    • A press release
    • Recognition of the artist’s accomplishment to the DWR board and the agency
    • An announcement of the winning art selection in Virginia Wildlife magazine
  5. Pieces selected for the 2025 exhibition will be at the discretion of the DWR Contest Panel. All art selected will be displayed in The Gallery at Main Street Station, 1500 E Main St, Richmond, VA 23219, from Friday, March 7 until Friday, March 28. On Friday, March 7, there will be a public opening reception, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Thereafter, the exhibition will be open to the public daily, Monday – Friday 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
  6. It is the artist’s choice whether the work is for sale or not. If it is for sale, the sales transaction is entirely between the buyer and the artist. The Gallery at Main Street will not process the sale or take any commission. Whether the work is for sale or not, it must remain in the exhibition until March 28.
    • Artist will declare in submission form if artwork will be for sale, provide the selling price, and share artist contact information that may be displayed in the exhibition.
    • Sales for professional artists may be facilitated through the artist’s sales representative.
    • Sale of any Youth entries must be facilitated by the artist’s adult guardian.
  7. Artwork may be collected by the artists or a representative at the end of the exhibition on Friday, March 28, or from DWR Headquarters (7870 Villa Park Drive, Henrico, VA 23228) during business hours (9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Mon-Fri). Any work not collected by the artist or including a pre-paid UPS label provided by the artist will be retained by DWR.

Please direct questions to Andrea Naccarato (andrea.naccarato@dwr.virginia.gov).

Shipping Instructions

  1. Artists must include the title of work, artist’s name, category entered, and confirmation code that was supplied when you submitted your form both on the outside of the packaging and on the back of the artwork itself.
  2. Artists may ship to our physical address or PO Box.
  3. Artwork may be dropped off at DWR headquarters Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., as long as the artwork is provided within a protective package and properly labeled.
  4. Artists not planning to pick up their art must include return shipping with their entries. This shipping must be in the form of a pre-paid UPS shipping label (US Postal Service and FedEx are not acceptable shipping methods). Create a UPS shipping label (or find a local UPS shipping location). Artists providing UPS return labels must write their entry number(s) on the label.
  5. Artists expecting return shipping should ship in a box that is new or otherwise in good condition. Including any specific re-packaging instructions is welcomed.
  6. Please notify the DWR of any changes to your return address by emailing andrea.naccarato@dwr.virginia.gov. If artwork is not picked up or does not have pre-paid postage provided, artwork will not be returned. Please note that due to the volume of artwork received and the need to carefully pack and re-ship, the return of artwork via shipping may be delayed. Please do NOT include packing material for re-shipping.

Mailing Address for Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources:

Restore the Wild Art: Attention – Andrea Naccarato
P.O. Box 90778
7870 Villa Park Drive, Suite 400
Henrico, VA 23228

Physical Address: 7870 Villa Park Drive, Suite 400, Henrico, VA 23228