Young artists and writers who entered Seal Sitters’ Art and Story contest were recognized at Sunday’s “Harbor Seal Day” event. All entries were displayed inside the Bathhouse.

A very special thanks goes to volunteer Lynn Shimamoto, an architectural illustrator by profession, who worked so hard to get art submissions. She set up art tables next to our booth at summer educational outreach events, teaching kids about seal biology and behavior as they created vivid illustrations. Kudos to Lynn - volunteer extraordinaire!

Every child was an “Honorable Mention” winner, but prizes were awarded for standout art entries as judged by Diane Venti, owner of Alki Arts Gallery, Lezlie Jane, well-known West Seattle artist, and Seal Sitters’ Candace Sullivan.

ART CONTEST PRIZE WINNERS, KINDERGARTEN - 2nd GRADE DIVISION
1st Place Ruby Zorzella (Kindergarten), winner of a Family Fun pack donated by Woodland Park Zoo
2nd Place Jackson Neumann (Kindergarten), winner of 2 hours studio time at Young at Art
3rd Place Owen Turcotte (2nd grade), winner of certificate for a free pizza from Slices
1st Runner-up Siena Tatro, (1st grade), winner of Leopard and Silkie and Seal Pup Rescue books (MacMillan Publishing)
2nd Runner-up Josie Riemer (1st grade), winner of Leopard and Silkie and Seal Pup rescue books

ART CONTEST WINNERS, 3rd-5th GRADE DIVISION
1st Place Emilee Owen (5th grade), winner of admission for 4 donated by Seattle Aquarium
2nd Place Eloise Van Matre (4th Grade), winner 2 hours studio time at Young at Art
3rd Place Lily Clark (3rd Grade), winner of certificate for free pizza from Slices
1st Runner-up Hope Kuchan (4th Grade), winner of tie-dye kit from Northwest Art and Frame
2nd Runner-up Fay Turcotte (3rd Grade), winner of Shrinky-Dinks book from Northwest Art and Frame

STORY CONTEST WINNERS
1st Place Stella Zorzella (3rd Grade), winner of admission for 4 donated by Seattle Aquarium
2nd Place Theo Schill, winner of metalic marker set from Seal Sitters
3rd Place Dahlia Kristiansson (1st Grade), activity book/colored pencils, Northwest Art and Frame

Many thanks to nature writer Brenda Peterson and her students for judging the Story contest submissions and to Diane and Lezlie for their time and expertise to judge the art entries.

To ensure that every child received a prize for entering the contest, WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations Unit donated numerous beautiful posters depicting marine life.

Huge thanks to the Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo, Northwest Art and Frame, Slices, Young at Art, MacMillan Publishing Group (Christy Ottaviano Books) and WDFW for generously donating prizes to these talented kids!

Check back for a photo gallery of highlighted artwork and winning stories.

Tags: harbor seal day, art-essay contest

In order to allow more children to participate, the deadline for Seal Sitters’ Art and Story contest deadline has been extended to August 25th. Prizes will be awarded on Sunday afternoon, September 8th at our “Harbor Seal Day” sculpture dedication and educational outreach event at Alki Beach. All entries will be on display at the Alki Bathhouse. Read more about the contest and rules here.

In addition to educational outreach booths for both adults and children, there will be activities for kids at Harbor Seal Day, including face painting, a puppet show booth and art crafts.

Tags: art-essay contest, Year of the Seal, harbor seal day

West Seattle’s Summer Fest drew huge crowds Friday and Saturday to the Alaska Junction and Seal Sitters had an educational outreach table smack dab in the middle of it. Volunteers spoke to over 330 children and adults. We’re happy to report that 32 kids (at last count) signed the Seal Ambassador Pledge to protect our waters and respect wildlife. If you’d like to take the pledge, too, and receive a certificate, click here!

Volunteers also talked to the public about the latest “Sentinels of the Sound” sculpture updates and “Harbor Seal Day” dedication and educational event to be held at the Alki Bathhouse on September 8th. The deadline for the art and essay contest for kids K-5 is August 15th. For more info and to download the contest rules, click here. Artwork and essays will be displayed at the Bathhouse during the event and participating kids will be honored - and there will be prizes for the winners, too!

Seal Sitters will have a booth at next weekend’s Alki Art Fair. Make sure to stop by. There will be a coloring table for kids to get those creative juices flowing as well as a sign-up sheet to join Spud’s Seal Ambassador Club and receive a certificate.

Tags: Seal Ambassador, art-essay contest

UPDATE: Deadline for entries has been extended to August 25th.

Seal Sitters, as part of our Year of the Seal project, is reaching out to children, encouraging them to become involved in protecting marine mammals and help keep our waters free of trash.

In celebration of the “Sentinels of the Sound” sculpture, we are sponsoring an art and story contest, open to all Seattle-area children grades K-5. We ask kids to imagine, through words and/or art media, the story of seal pup Spud (the name of our very first pup that came ashore in 2007), depicted in the sculpture with his mom (be on the lookout for the upcoming contest to name the mother seal). Ideas can include: Where did Spud and his mom travel from? What do they see swimming together? What adventures has Spud had along the way? Where does Spud sleep? Anything about seal pups that might spark a child’s imagination is perfect for this contest! Too young to write? While we look forward to seeing written entries in a kid’s handwriting, stories can be transcribed by an adult - we want everyone to be able to weave tales about Spud and his mom! For photos of the sculpture, click here.

Written stories will be judged by a panel of writers led by noted National Geographic author (and Seal Sitters co-founder) Brenda Peterson. The artwork will be judged by a panel of artists.

All entries will be displayed at our “Harbor Seal Day” celebration and dedication on Sunday, September 8th from 1-4pm at the Alki Bathhouse. Winners will be recognized at the event and prizes awarded. Selected entries will also be displayed on our websites.

Entries for the contest must be received by August 25th. Please read the size limitations and other rules here. Drop off locations for entries are Alki Mail and Dispatch, Alki Arts (Alki beach location) and NW Art and Frame (4733 California Ave Sw). Thanks so much to these generous businesses for participating! Entries can also be mailed to: Seal Sitters, 4701 SW Admiral Way #224, Seattle, 98116. Email us if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing what creative visions our kids have!

Tags: Year of the Seal, art-essay contest, harbor seal day