​Entries are now being accepted for the 2020 contest.
2019 Winners (out of 4,444 entries from 37 countries and 20 US states)
HISTORY
This owl art contest started around 2004 as a coloring contest to involve local young people in the Festival of Owls. Over the years it has grown into a highly competitive international art competition with more than 4,444 entries from 37 countries in 2019!

CONTEST RULES:
  • Children must be age 18 or younger on the date their entry is mailed.
  • Entries must be an image of an owl.
  • Entries must be the original art of the child entering the contest, with no help from adults. 
  • Artwork must be two-dimensional, on any size paper that can be mailed and hung on a wall with tape.
  • Entries should not contain any plant or animal materials (no grasses, seeds, fur, etc.)
  • Artwork must be properly labeled. Print out this form and TAPE the small label to the bottom right corner of the front of the image (place tape on the sides--do not apply tape to the front of the art), and TAPE the larger form to the back of the image. (Do not use glue or rubber cement.) PLEASE PRINT NEATLY or type the information. Click here to see a video of how to properly label entries. Improperly labeled artwork may be disqualified from the competition.
  • Entries must be received by January 15, 2020. (Entries must be mailed; no email entries accepted.) Please allow adequate time for delivery, which often can take 3-4 weeks from some countries, and sometimes takes as much as 6-8 weeks.
  • All entries with a legible email address will receive an emailed certificate of participation that may be printed out. Schools will receive one certificate to print out for each of the students. Due to the volume of entries we receive, the certificates are not customized with each child's name. You may add the artist's name to the certificate. We do not use seals, as we are based in the United States and it is not customary here.
  • Limit one entry per person and 50 entries per school (if mailed by the school in a package.) 
  • Use enough postage, as "postage due" entries will not be accepted.
  • All entries become the property of the International Owl Center and cannot be returned due to the large volume of entries received. They may be used for decoration, fundraising, promotional purposes, or printed materials for sale. This may include using them as decoration during the International Festival of Owls and throughout the year, selling them in the Owl Center gift shop, auctioning them in fundraisers, temporary display at other facilities (such as museums), making them into greeting cards to be used and sold, featuring them on shirts and other promotional materials for International Owl Awareness Day in early August, and other uses.
  • A variety of photos showing a sampling of entries, judging, and entries on display will be posted on our public Facebook page in February and March. Due to the large number of entries not all artwork will be photographed or displayed, and we cannot notify those that are shown in photographs. We will make every effort to notify artists whose work is placed on special exhibit in museums and galleries.
  • JUDGING CRITERIA: All properly labeled entries will be judged by a panel of area artists. Judges are looking for: innovative presentation, unusual perspective or viewpoint, a message or idea that is being conveyed, skill with the medium appropriate to the age group (although sometimes the significance of the message is more important than the medium), colors coordinated or contrasted for emotional impact, design elements work together and/or humor.
  • PRIZES: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category will be mailed a customized and signed award certificate. Categories are as follows: 0-5 years, 6-9 years, 10-14 years, and 15-18 years. Certificates will be mailed by mid-March and images will be posted on this website by mid-March.
  • If you have questions, please email us. Please note that our contest coordinator is only in the office 2-3 days per week. For time sensitive inquires use this email address.
Entries should be mailed through the postal service to:
International Festival of Owls
P O Box 536
Houston, MN 55943
USA
Entries mailed through DHL, UPS, and FedEx should be mailed to:
International Owl Center
126 E Cedar St
Houston, MN 55943
USA
+1 507-896-6957