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Atlantic Sharks, Tunas, Billfish, and Swordfish Art Contest

NOAA Fisheries annual Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Art and Calendar Contest.

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Southeast

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A close-up of an Atlantic white marlin with it's mouth open in the water.
A close-up of an Atlantic white marlin. Credit: iStock

2025 Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Art Contest

Download the free 2025 Atlantic tunas calendar.

Browse the 2025 Atlantic tunas winner gallery.

Now Accepting Entries

All entries due by January 31, 2025.

NOAA Fisheries holds an annual art contest open to students from kindergarten through eighth grade. This year's theme is swordfish and billfish. 

Through this contest, we hope to raise awareness about Atlantic highly migratory species (sharks, tunas, billfish, and swordfish) and their importance to healthy ecosystems. Winning artwork is featured in a NOAA Fisheries calendar.

Who is eligible to enter?

All students from kindergarten through eighth grade from all U.S. states and territories in public, private, and home schools are eligible to participate. Students may submit entries on their own or as part of a classroom, but must work individually.

Requirements

Each entry must be composed of a piece of artwork and a title. All entries must meet the requirements below. A NOAA awards panel will collect all entries and select 13 winners to be featured in a calendar. Entries will be judged on the creativity, artistic presentation, and relevance to the art contest themes. 

The theme of the 2025 Highly Migratory Species art contest is swordfish and billfish, and should highlight: 

  1. The important role swordfish and billfish play in their ecosystem to support healthy oceans and fisheries
  2. The diversity of swordfish and billfish and their habitats and/or
  3. Unique biological characteristics of swordfish and billfish

Artwork and Description 

We strongly encourage highlighting swordfish and billfish found in the Atlantic Ocean, such as North Atlantic swordfish, Atlantic blue marlin, Atlantic white marlin, longbill spearfish, roundscale spearfish, and sailfish. 

  1. Provide one entry and one entry form per student.
  2. Create artwork on a single sheet of 8.5” x 11” paper, landscape orientation.
  3. Use plain, white, non-glossy paper; do not laminate.
  4. Use any art medium (e.g., colored pencils, crayons, paint, markers).
  5. Hand draw all artwork.
  6. Ensure artwork is flat (e.g., no glued pieces or glitter) and able to be scanned.
  7. Do not include any personal information (name, location, or grade) on the front of the artwork.
  8. Write the student’s name, grade, school, and state on the back of the artwork in pencil.
  9. Avoid labeling items with any brand names, or slogans in the artwork; limit text on the artwork.
  10. Provide a title for each artwork on the entry form.

Entry Submission

All entries must be submitted electronically or by mail and postmarked no later than January 31, 2025. Please submit one entry form per student. 

Submitting Entries by Mail 

Mail entry to: 

Highly Migratory Species Art Contest

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division 

NMFS SSMC3 F/SF1

1315 East-West Highway

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Submitting Entries Electronically

Email entry to: nmfs.hms.artcontest@noaa.gov.

  • Attach the artwork as a JPEG, PNG, or TIFF.
  • Make sure the artwork is high resolution (scanning is encouraged), not crooked, and is easy to see and/or read.
  • Include the student’s name, grade, school, and state in the body of the email.
  • Please note: Our email system will not accept emails with attachments larger than 18MB. If you are submitting multiple entries via email, please number them, send them in individual emails, or reach out to confirm we have received all of your entries.

Ownership

Submissions become property of NOAA Fisheries. Through submission of artwork, entrants and their legal guardians grant non-exclusive reproduction and publication rights to the works.

If you have any questions, please email us at nmfs.hms.artcontest@noaa.gov.

2024 Art Contest Winners and 2025 Calendar

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Child's drawing of tunas, seagrass, and bubbles.

Congratulations to our 2024 Highly Migratory Species contest winners! The winning 13 pieces of artwork selected are featured in a 2025 calendar highlighting the importance of Atlantic tunas to healthy ecosystems and to celebrate NOAA Fisheries’ successes in conservation through sustainable fisheries management. Thank you to all the students who participated in this year’s contest!

For a print copy, email nmfs.hms.artcontest@noaa.gov

Download the 2025 Atlantic Tunas Calendar or browse the gallery of winning art.

2024 Shark Art Contest Winner Gallery

 

 

Last updated by Office of Sustainable Fisheries on 11/19/2024