Top Finishers Represent Three Countries — A First for the Contest
Eight hundred thirty-seven kindergarten–eighth grade students submitted their artwork to the 24th annual Kirtland’s Warbler Young Artists’ Contest, hosted by American Bird Conservancy, Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance, and Kirtland’s Warbler Festival. Winning entries are assembled into an annual calendar celebrating the Kirtland’s Warbler and the ecosystems it relies upon. For the first time, three countries are represented on the podium.
In First Place, to be featured on the calendar cover, Lilah, a Grand Rapids, Michigan eighth grader, depicted a male-female pair of Kirtland’s Warblers nestled together in a tree. Lilah is the contest’s second-ever two-time winner.
In Second Place, to be featured on the back cover of the calendar, Annie, an Orillia, Ontario seventh grader, created a vibrant image of a Kirtland’s Warbler, viewed from below.
In Third Place, to be featured on the inside of the front cover of the calendar, Jared, a North Palmetto Point, The Bahamas third grader, drew a striking colored pencil image of a Kirtland’s Warbler perched in a jack pine.
Entries to the Kirtland’s Warbler Young Artists’ Contest must be original and demonstrate an understanding of the Kirtland’s Warbler or associated wildlife that live in northern Michigan’s unique jack pine forests or its winter habitat in The Bahamas. The Kirtland’s Warbler spent more than 50 years on the U.S. Endangered Species list before being delisted in 2019, thanks to an ongoing international conservation effort that spans 1,800 miles, from the jack pine breeding grounds in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada to the hardwood coppice wintering grounds in The Bahamas.
The calendar showcases the top 18 entries on its October 2026 – December 2027 pages (15 months), Kirtland’s Warbler facts and conservation history, and thumbnails of honorable mention artwork. Top three and monthly winners receive a prize package and a copy of the new Kirtland’s Warbler Young Artists’ Calendar. Additional top winners will be featured on the monthly pages, including:
Initiated in 2003 by the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival, the annual contest is co-hosted by American Bird Conservancy, Kirtland’s Warbler Festival, and Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance. Previous contests have been supported by the U.S. Forest Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Bahamas National Trust, Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve, Huron Pines AmeriCorps, Kirtland’s Warbler Audubon Society, and AuSable Valley Audubon Society. Open for submissions in January and closing in early March, the program teaches children the hopeful conservation story of the Kirtland’s Warbler. Proceeds from calendar sales support ongoing Kirtland’s Warbler-themed environmental education.
Calendars will be available for purchase in early June in person at the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival and (coming soon) through an online portal. If you would like to be notified when online ordering is available, email KWYAcontest@gmail.com.
This year’s contest was supported by: Detroit Zoo, Kirtland Community College, and Weyerhauser.
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