Judges will be looking at: use of language, expression of theme, enjoyable to read, original concept, and biological accuracy.
- K-12 students (public, private or home schooled) residing in villages in or adjacent to the North Slope Borough and the following National Wildlife Refuges: Alaska Maritime, Alaska Peninsula/Becharof, Arctic, Innoko, Izembek, Kodiak, Koyukuk, Nowitna, Selawik, Tetlin, Togiak, Yukon Delta, and Yukon Flats, may enter.
- All entries must be submitted to the closest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office, Attention: Calendar Contest at (Addresses of offices are on page 2 of the Entry Form).
- All entries must be postmarked by March 4, 2024. Entries postmarked after this date will be disqualified. Only one literature entry per student will be accepted however, students may enter both literature and poster contests.
- Literature entries must be typed or handwritten neatly in black ink on 8½" X 11" paper. Illegible submissions and incomplete entry forms will be disqualified.
- Try to limit the total number of English words to 60. If an Alaska Native language is used, an English translation must be attached to the entry (the translation is not counted in the total number of words allowed)
- All entries must be original. No copying will be accepted.
- Literature entries may be either poetry or prose and MUST PERTAIN TO THE THEME.
- The purpose and spirit of the calendar is to convey positive conservation messages related to migratory birds found in Alaska. Literature focusing on “no hunting” or “no egging” messages is not appropriate and will be disqualified.
- Teachers must review the student's writing so that misspelling and grammatical errors are corrected before submission. Misspelled or illegible words or grammatical errors will disqualify the entry.
- Young children and/or children with disabilities may get assistance from their teachers and parents to dictate their thoughts.
- Page 1 of the completed, legible entry form MUST be firmly attached on the back of each entry. Illegible submissions or incomplete entry forms will be disqualified. Parental/guardian signature is mandatory and mailing address must be included for artwork return.
- Student's name MUST NOT appear on the front of the entry but should be neatly printed on the back just in case the entry form is accidentally separated from the art.
