PSF’s Third Kids Art Contest Celebrates Pacific Salmon
The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) is pleased to announce the results of the 2024 Kids Salmon Art Contest, our third annual celebration of youth talent and salmon stewardship. This year, more than 300 students from British Columbia and the Yukon submitted salmon-inspired art, many depicting the incredible migration journey of Pacific salmon.
Kids aged four to 18 contributed their creative interpretations, helping raise awareness about the challenges salmon face amid climate change and habitat loss. PSF received entries from the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Interior, and the Yukon.
The diverse submissions ranged from digital art and Lego sculptures to eyed salmon egg drawings inspired by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Steve Smith (Dla’kwagila) of the Oweekeno Nation. New this year, several art pieces referenced the impact of wildfires on salmon.
“I am inspired by the passion, talent, and creativity of more than 300 students who participated in the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s third Kids Art Contest,” says Michael Meneer, CEO and President, Pacific Salmon Foundation.
“This year’s submissions from kids of all ages depicted the vitality of the salmon life cycle and migration journey, and the profound challenges to salmon survival. We are immensely thankful to the artists, parents, and teachers who celebrated Pacific salmon through our Kids Art contest. Salmon needs all of us – from every generation – and this contest has shown that the future of salmon stewardship is strong.”
PSF looks forward to hosting next year’s Kids Salmon Art Contest. Below, we present the winning entries in each category with a comment from the artist. Individual winners will receive a prize pack valued at $100. Congratulations!
Under 8 category winner: Jane, Age 7, Rosedale, B.C.
“The fish are resilient, even when forests burn, and flood waters wash away the bare hillsides, the fish find ways to survive. With our help they can keep going for more generations.” — Jane
Age 8 – 10 category winner: Mavi, Age 8, Ucluelet
“My grandpa has volunteered for years with the rehabilitation of salmon spawning areas in Qualicum Beach. He found out about this art contest and invited my sister and I to participate! We got excited. My mom found us lots of salmon art to get ideas from and got us learning water colour. We also checked out last years entries. I did a couple rough drafts and after drawing a salmon I was happy with, went ahead and grabbed a nice sheet of water colour paper. I used birthday candle wax to get some neat textures. It was a lot of fun. I took my time and spent three days on it.” — Mavi
Age 11 – 12 category winner: Kahlan, Age 11, Powell River
“I used reference pictures and it was fun to paint a salmon mid-air. I learnt a lot doing this painting.” — Kahlan
Age 13+ category winner: Jayla, Age 17, Victoria
“For my artwork, I drew inspiration from the vibrant and dynamic ecosystem of the Pacific salmon. The sun shining down illuminates the scene, symbolizing the energy that fuels the entire ecosystem. The salmon represents resilience and the cycle of life. The bear paw reaching into the water captures the interconnectedness of species, emphasizing the predator-prey relationship that sustains the ecosystem. The salmon scurrying away adds a sense of motion and urgency, highlighting the survival instinct. The colourful rocks and salmon eggs below symbolize the nurturing environment essential for the next generation. This piece celebrates the beauty and complexity of the Pacific salmon’s life journey.” — Jayla
Class Contest Winners:
The following classrooms will receive $1,000 each towards salmon education and/or resources – congratulations! The winners were selected by random draw from dozens of class/school entries as well as individual entries that included their school’s name.
- Craigflower Elementary School, Victoria
- Holy Cross Elementary, Burnaby
- Eastview Elementary, North Vancouver
Click the image below to view a slideshow of the 2024 kids’ salmon art entries:
*Please note if your art was submitted outside of our online form (e.g. by mail), we may not have been able to include it in the slideshow. However, your submission was entered into PSF’s contest!
