SARANAC LAKE — The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is inviting middle and high school students from the Tri-Lakes area to participate in an art contest. One middle school winner and one high school winner will be chosen to win prizes of $500 for the middle school contest and $1,000 for the high school contest.

The contest is for visual art of any medium. Submissions must respond to or interpret the question, “What makes the Adirondacks the Adirondacks?” and include a loon or hint of a loon in some way.

“The idea for this contest is to encourage student artists to think about this region we live in and to reflect on what makes it special or unique,” ACLC executive director Dorothy Waldt said. “And yes, we had to say include a loon! Loons aren’t the only thing that makes the Adirondacks special, but we are a bit biased towards them.”

Students in grades six through 12 are eligible to enter, including students who graduate in 2025 or those entering sixth grade this fall. Artwork must be submitted to the Loon Center in Saranac Lake by Sept. 29. Winners will be announced at the Loon Celebration on Oct. 5, at Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC). Winners do not need to attend the Loon Center to win, but winning artwork will be displayed and the winners publicly announced at the celebration.

“I’m excited to be coordinating this contest for the Loon Center,” ACLC education and outreach coordinator Sylvie Casella said. “I really want to see young artists acknowledged and seen for their creativity and for their passion for where we live.”

The full list of rules and submission details is available at www.adkloon.org/art-contest. For questions, please contact Sylvie Casella at scasella@adkloon.org.