January 2025 - 9

NEWS
The American pika is the subject of this year's Wyoming Game and Fish Department Collectible Conservation Stamp Art Show. (Adobe Stock Photo)
Pika picked as
Stamp Art Show subject
CHEYENNE - A small but cute critter
- the American pika - is the subject of this
year's Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Collectible Conservation Stamp Art Show.
Entries to this year's contest open Jan. 2.
The American pika, also known as rock
rabbits and closely related to hares, are found
in mountain ranges along the western border
of Wyoming as well as the Bighorn and
Snowy Range mountains. Adults are only
6½-8 inches long. Pika are considered a habitat
specialist because they require rocky
habitats that provide cover and warmth
interspersed with meadows or patches of
abundant forage.
" Though small, pika are an important
species that can signal broader shifts in
the quality and quantity of alpine habitats.
We're excited to draw attention to the unique
characteristics that make the American pika
noteworthy by featuring it as the species for
this year's contest, " said Chris Martin, Game
and Fish visual communications supervisor
and coordinator of this year's contest.
All entries must be received at Game and
Fish headquarters in Cheyenne by 5 p.m.
March 31. Judging will be held the week of
April 14, and the awards ceremony will be
held virtually on the Game and Fish Facebook
page April 25. The fee is $30 per entry,
and artists can submit up to two entries. The
top five receive a monetary award, including
$3,500 for the winner. The cash prizes are
sponsored by the WYldlife Fund. The winning
stamp will be offered as a collectible
item, which can be purchased through the
Game and Fish Store.
All artwork must be the artist's original
creation and two-dimensional. Photographs,
sculptures or other three-dimensional submissions
will not be accepted. Entries determined
to be biologically inaccurate will not
be eligible to win monetary awards but could
earn honorable mention recognition. Entries
should be 18-by-24 inches in a horizontal
format. Entries can be in color or black and
white.
The art show is in its 42nd year, and a
separate contest for kids in kindergarten
through 12th grade is in its third consecutive
year. The kids contest is divided into
four groups based on grade. Cash prizes are
awarded to the top three in each group. If
the winning artwork is submitted by the student's
teacher, the teacher's class will receive
a matching award to purchase art supplies
for their classroom.
" The quality of artwork from kindergartners
to professional artists continues to be
awe-inspiring each year, " Martin said. " We
look forward to another competitive contest
and seeing each artist's interpretation of this
small but thrifty Wyoming species. "
- Robert Gagliardi, WGFD
SCAN THE QR CODE
FOR THE COMPLETE
RULEBOOK FOR THE
CURRENT COLLECTIBLE
CONSERVATION STAMP
ART SHOW.
Wyoming Wildlife | 9

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/get-involved/contests-awards/conservation-stamp-art-show-winners

January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2025