Art contest: Everyone Belongs in Nature -- Even Cicadas!

Description

Everyone Belongs in Nature – Even Cicadas!

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is hosting a cicada-themed art show, and it’s going to be a scream!

Illinois is the epicenter of a rare double cicada brood emergence this summer, and IDNR wants to commemorate the occasion with a public art show during the 2024 Illinois State Fair, Aug. 8-18.

Anyone can participate. We’ll have a junior exhibit for youth 17 and younger, and an adult show for everyone 18 and older.

Guidelines for participating:

• Subject matter: Send us your original artwork with your best interpretation of a cicada or a brood of cicadas. No AI-generated artwork, please.
• Acceptable materials and mediums: Paper only. Charcoal, pencil, colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint, oil paint, oil pastels, or watercolor paint.
• Size: No larger than 18 x 24 inches. Anything larger will be disqualified.
• Quantity: One entry per person.

How to submit your entry:

Entries will be accepted digitally at first. Visit this website (link) to complete the entry form and upload a clear, well-lit, digital photo of your artwork.

Entries will be reviewed by panelists from IDNR and the Illinois State Museum. Finalists will be selected to have their work displayed during the Illinois State Fair. The finalists will be contacted and asked to submit their original artwork by mailing it to IDNR headquarters in Springfield. Entrants are responsible for the cost of postage. Artwork also can be dropped off at IDNR headquarters or at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield.

Deadline to enter is Sunday, June 16, 2024.

People’s Choice

Fairgoers will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite cicada artwork from their phones during the fair. The winning People’s Choice entry will win a prize from IDNR.

How much fun should you have with this challenge?

Artists can be as serious or as silly as they want with the cicada art challenge. Cicadas are interesting-looking insects, and we’re excited to see what artists from all over Illinois come up with. Realistic, creative, wacky, whimsical, or kitsch – we’re here for it all. We think the cicadas would want it that way.