South Bay Teen Honored At National Art Contest

WASHINGTON, DC – The Endangered Species Coalition proudly announced the winners of the 2018 Saving Endangered Species Youth Art Contest, including the grand prize winner, Brandon Xie, a Lexington, Massachusetts fourth-grader.

The contest was an integral part of the 13th annual national Endangered Species Day, which occurs on Friday, May 18. The art contest engages school children in grades K-12 in expressing their appreciation for our nation’s most imperiled wildlife, and promotes national awareness of the importance of saving endangered species.

“The artwork created by this generation of young people is clearly demonstrating how they think deeply about the plight of endangered species,” said Leda Huta, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “It is clear that they recognize not just our role in impacting wildlife and plants, but also our opportunities to bring them back from the brink of extinction. Each work of art is an inspiration to all of us to do more, to save more.”

Contest winners were selected by a panel of prestigious artists, photographers and conservationists, including renowned marine life artist Wyland; Jack Hanna, host of Jack Hanna's Into the Wild; David Littschwager, a freelance photographer and regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine; Susan Middletown, a photographer who has collaborated with Littschwager and whose own work has been published in four books; and Alice Tangerini, botanical illustrator for the Smithsonian Institution.

The 2018 Saving Endangered Species Youth Art Contest winners are:

Grand Prize: Brandon Xie (4th grade), Lexington, Mass.
First Place: Erin Dong (9th grade), Santa Clara, Calif. See the art work here

First Place Winners in Grade Categories:

Grades K-2: Sean Lam (1st grade), Great Neck, N.Y.
Grades 3-5: Kyle Xu, (3rd grade), East Brunswick, N.J.
Grades 6-8: Maggie Wu (6th grade), Great Neck, N.Y.
Grades 9-12: Colin Phillips (11th grade), Okemos, Mich.

The grand prize winner will be honored at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Congressional Reception in Washington, D.C. on May 16 and will receive a special art lesson from a professional wildlife artist and $50-worth of art supplies of their choice. The other contest winners will receive an award plaque and art supplies.

Last year’s winning entries are included as part of a traveling photo and art exhibit called “Our Vanishing Future.” D.C. area residents will have the opportunity to view the exhibit from May 14 to May 18 at the rotunda in Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Endangered Species Day was first proclaimed by the United States Congress in 2006. It is a celebration of the nation’s wildlife and wild places and is an opportunity for people to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species, as well as everyday actions they can take to help protect them.

Across the country, organizations hold special events to celebrate Endangered Species Day.

-Announcement by Endangered Species Organization/ Image via Shutterstock