The theme of this year's contest is "celebrate biodiversity." The Get to Know Team invites you to get outdoors – or go to a local zoo or aquarium – and "get to know" the remarkable plants and animals in your local environment. While you are there, allow your wild neighbours to inspire you to create art, photography, or writing (see Categories below). Submit your artwork to the Get to Know Contest online (starting on April 22) to win wild prizes – including a week-long stay at Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, hosted by Parks Canada. You could also win cash prizes (new for 2010!), digital cameras from Panasonic, gifts from Scholastic and Opus Framing and Art Supplies, have your artwork published in the 2011 Get to Know Contest Calendar, or have your work chosen as the 2011 Youth Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp produced by Wildlife Habitat Canada.
The motto of the Get to Know Contest is "Connect. Create. Celebrate." One of the foremost objectives of the Get to Know Program is to applaud Canada's young people for their passionate interest in the environment. One way we accomplish this is through the Get to Know Contest Calendar, which publishes winning artwork from each year's contest. Over the past decade, the calendar has become one of the most widely distributed nature calendars in Canada featuring the work of young people.
The Contest will launch on Earth Day, April 22 at leading aquariums, natural history museums, and zoos across the country. Find a launch event near you »
The contest is open to any Canadian age 19 or younger. Art, photography, and writing about biodiversity can be entered between April 10 and May 25.
Get some inspiration and tips from these prominent Canadians:
My life has always been immersed in nature. It has been inspiring, adventurous and fun. I have been thrilled by everything from gorillas in the rainforests of the Congo to the penguins of the Antarctic. But none of these spectacular experiences has been any more enchanting than the nature I discovered as a young boy in the ravine below our backyard.
Video tips from Robert Bateman are available on our Teachers page. »
The more I travel and photograph in other parts of the world, the more I have come to realize how truly special and rare is the diverse and magnificent wilderness we have in Canada. I have always felt that as a photographer my goal is to approach the natural environment with the sense of wonder and curiosity that comes so naturally to children. This, I believe, is one of the fundamental keys not just to producing meaningful images, but more importantly, to gaining a full appreciation and enjoyment of the natural world.
I am delighted to join Robert Bateman, and many other passionate conservationists, in endorsing the Get to Know Contest. Going outdoors and learning about our neighbors of other species is crucial to understanding the environment around us and how we can have a positive impact on it. Photography is such a great way to develop a lifelong interest in wildlife and I invite all young people to go outside, take some photos, and enter the Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest!
Writing about the natural world around us helps us to better understand how we can take an active role in conserving our precious natural resources, from the water we drink to the plants and animals in our local environments. By going outside and developing a basic knowledge of biodiversity, we can all respond creatively to the need for change in the way we live, work, learn, and grow—especially in relation to our neighbours of other species. I encourage aspiring young writers to share, through the Get to Know Contest, their powerful messages about the splendour of nature and the need to preserve it. Your words hold the key to a greener future for everyone.
