Come compete with some of the best artists in the Country to benefit the conservation of our nations wild turkey and our hunting heritage. All work is original art and is auctioned off to the highest bidder after the competition has determined the winners.
Categories 1-3 award $1000 for each first place winner. All first place winners in each category go up against other category winners for the grand prize of $1500 and to be acknowledged as the best of show. We also celebrate our youth artists who are under 18 years old and encourage them to enter our stand alone youth category where an additional $250 is up for grabs to the first place winner of that category.
Carved art is truly special and this category has some of the best carvers in the Country who compete every year
Pen art, canvas art, or whatever your imagination can paint or draw on any flat surface. Wildlife only of course.
Got something unique and different that does not fit into the first two categories? Try to enter it here instead.
We welcome all youth artists to the competition and give them their own category to compete in. All items are sold.
IMPORTANT: All pieces entered into this competition will be auctioned off after the competition winners have been announced. If the artist would like their piece back after the competition is over, you will need to bid on and win you piece in the online auctions or live auctions if needed.
This competition is hosted alongside our Grand National Callmaking Competition. While you can register and edit entries from here, you will need to visit the callmaking competition to participate in our online auctions.
The following rules are the rules for each category. The NWTF reserves the right to move any entry into another category if it does not qualify for the category it was entered into
Carved category designated for carved pieces. These pieces can also be painted, wood burnt, or scrimshawed. Items cannot be larger than 24 inches in height, width, and depth. Artists have the ability to request that their items go to online auction or live auction. Online Auction opens up the opportunity for bidders who are not at convention to bid on the piece. Last year we have over 50K bids online. Artists are limited to 2 entries into this category per contest year. First Place wins $1000.00 and a trophy to honor the win.
This category is designated for entries that are two-dimensional. Examples would be painted canvas, framed art, charcoal, ink, pencil, and wood burning on flat surfaces only. Artwork cannot be any larger than 36x36 inches (Not including frame if it is included. We do not have frames available at the show, so the piece must be able to stand on a tripod or the table. Frames can store-bought, can impact your overall scores, and must be sent in as part of the art and included in the auction. ALL Paintings that are over 24 inches on one side MUST be received into the competition with a box big enough for it to be shipped to the buyer. Each painting must have its own box. Artists are limited to 2 entries into this category per contest year. All art in this category will be auctioned off after the contest winners are determined. If you wish for your piece to be excluded from the live auction and available online only, please let us know ahead of time. Possible reasons for this decision would be to open the item up to bidders anywhere in the USA. Live auction items must have bidders present at our convention in order to place bids. Deciding to put the item as an online item will allow your current clients the ability to bid from home. First Place wins $1000.00 and a trophy to honor the win.
Any piece of art that is not included in category 1 & category 2 by itself. A couple examples would be sculpture, metal work, and shadow boxes, multi-medium, etc.. Artwork cannot be made up of multiple pieces that would qualify by themselves to be entered into either category 1 or category 2. Artwork must be handmade and hand painted if the piece is painted, the artists own creation, and not created by a computer or a 3D printer. Artists are limited to 2 entries into this category per contest year. First Place wins $1000.00 and a trophy to honor the win.
Any piece of art as long as it depicts a wild animal or bird. Reptiles, insects, or household pets are not allowed. Can be any medium the artist chooses. The art must be the artists own art. No stencils are allowed, no liquid burning, and no 3D printing. A parent may offer minimal help for children under 12. First Place wins $250.00 and a trophy to honor the win.
The first place winners of each category go up against each other and the best piece is selected from a committee of judges. The winner receives an additional $1,500 and an additional trophy.
This entry is titled "The Hen Box". It depicts a hen turkey sitting on her nest as she waits patiently for the arrival of her poults. One of the eggs has already began to hatch. It displays one of my favorite spring treasures, the morel mushroom. I have included a lot of carved habit details to bring realism to this piece. The presence of the ladybug symbolizes the protection a hen has for her poults as they make their grand entrance into the world.
Here are some of the entries in this years competition. We randomly feature pieces from this years competition on this page so everyone gets a chance to be featured. No favoritism here! Also keep in mind that we do not display the pictures of the pieces until the week of convention unless the competitor allows us to.
The first step to entering art or bidding is to create an account with us. If you already have an NWTF account you can use your NWTF login credentials to login.
Logging in helps us save your information so you can see the scores judges have given you on your art, read their comments, and to track bids that you have placed on art pieces in our auctions
This change each year with this competition and its best to stay in touch with those updates if you plan on competing or are thinking about competing.
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