Eight Art World School students were announced as state winners in the 2026 Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest. This is an international art competition that celebrates the beauty of fish, as well as the importance of raising awareness about conservation. There were over six thousand entries from across the U.S. and around the world for this year’s contest.

Art World School students from first to eighth grade received first, second, and third places in this year’s contest for a total of eight awards. Some of these students received an award in this contest for the first time, while others received awards for the second or even third time. The students used the skills they developed through Art World School’s Fine Art Program classes to create entries using various mediums.

Art World School instructors guided students through the process of creating the best entry they could by encouraging extensive research on the fish of their choice and finding many reference photos to help with the accurate depiction of the fish as well as their environments. Students used their research and reference photos to design their compositions, as well as to draw the details of their artwork. Some students also engaged in practice studies of their fish before starting their final art piece.

This is not the first year in which multiple Art World School students have been recognized for their artwork in this annual art contest. This is due to the school’s experience in helping students develop strong fundamental skills in various mediums, as well as guiding them through the process of mastering detailed and creative artworks. Each artwork showcases the student’s own study of the fish and its natural environment, in addition to the art skills they developed in Art World School classes.

These extensive art pieces were completed in Art World School’s Fine Art Program classes, which aim to give each student the maximum individual attention and instruction through a small class structure. These small-group classes allow each student to work on their own art project with step-by-step instruction from the teacher. This method succeeds in teaching each student exactly what they need to learn based on their own interests and skill level. Through these classes, students are not only able to complete wonderful artworks for their own portfolio but also work on extensive projects for art contests and other art showcases.

For this year’s entries, Art World School students used a combination of water-soluble art mediums as well as dry media. They chose their medium based on the art style they wanted to depict in their composition and the effect they wanted to create in their art piece. Some students also chose their medium based on their comfort level and personal preference. Most importantly, the students enjoyed the process of creating these beautiful art pieces and were encouraged by the awards they received for their efforts. Regardless of the awards they received, they are all proud of the artworks they created and their growth as young artists.