GLEN JEAN, WV (WVNS) — Local students can celebrate their love for nature through creativity and interest through the Youth Arts in the Parks 2023 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Contest.

This program allows students to serve as community leaders and raise awareness of Appalachia’s natural diversity. Students from K to 12 grade can participate from the following counties: Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers Counties.

Youth can enter art through their school, community organization, or independently. The top entries will be displayed at a spring 2023 art exhibit at Tamarack in Beckley and online. This contest is part of the 2023 Spring Nature Fling event celebrated throughout Southern West Virginia.

Hosting and partnering this event are New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Tamarack, and several West Virginia State Parks in April and May. The 2023 festivities are in will feature new programs, still in development, along with fun tips to help discover more about nature while in the outdoors. 

Now is the time to get entries in for the online contest. The entry window is only open through February 8, 2023.

Visit http://www.nps.gov/neri/youth-arts-in-the-parks.htm to see the updated 2023 contest rules, online entry procedures, details about the digital art critter challenge, list of accepted wildflower and wildlife species, and see many wildflower reference photos.

For more information, rules, and link to the online entry platform, please visit https://www.nps.gov/neri/appalachian-spring-wildflower-art-contest-overview-and-rules.htm.