Above: Promotional graphic for Robert Bateman's Get To Know Your Wild Neighbors Contest.

Do you want a fun and rewarding Thanksgiving project for your kids/students?

Why not plan to make a family trip outside over the upcoming holidays and “get to know” some of the wild neighbors who live in your community. Your kids or students can connect with nature over the holidays and create an art, writing, or photography entry to the “Get to Know” Contest , which is accepting entries until November 30. Entrants will be able to win wild prizes, such as the opportunity to join dozens of other young winners from Canada and the US for a weeklong adventure in one of Canada’s stunning national parks.

About the Contest

The Get to Know Contest has been Canada's most exciting and impacting nature art contest since 2000. Hundreds of thousands of youth have submitted entries crafted from moments of inspiration spent in nature. The contest, recently launched in the US for the first time and currently accepting entries, is an invitation for youth (age 18 and younger) to go outside (or to a zoo, aquarium, or museum), to "get to know" their wild neighbors, and then to share their experience with the world by creating an original work of art, photography, or writing and then entering their creation in the contest.

Winning entries are chosen both for their artistic merit and for demonstrating that the entry was created by someone who experienced a wild neighbor directly. The winning entries will be published in the 2011 Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest Calendar, on the Get to Know website, and through our contest partners. Besides having their entry published, winners will receive numerous prizes and VIP invitations to special events.

2009 Contest Theme: Forests

The winning artwork from this year's contest will be published in the 2011 Get to Know Contest Calendar. Because 2011 has been designated the "International Year of Forests" by the United Nations, we have made forests the theme of this year's contest. Discover the natural wonders that can be found in forests, and enter the Get to Know Contest to help us prepare to celebrate forests in 2011. But don't worry if you can't get out and explore the forest – we still want to see art, writing, and photography dedicated to creatively depicting plants and animals found in your own backyard. Youth must go outside OR to a local zoo, aquarium, or natural history museum for inspiration. Artists: while you're there, take photos and make sketches to base your artwork on; submit these with your final art entry for bonus marks. Families: while you're outside, take some time together to learn more about the forests in your state, and all the plants and animals found here.

By getting to know an animal's name, where it lives, what it eats, and other unique habits, you will take a step towards caring for the protection of this animal and its home – and by learning together in a local park or greenspace, you will ensure your family enjoys all the benefits of getting active in the outdoors.

Participate:

There are countless ways to participate in the contest. First, figure our where to go to see your wild neighbors; here are some ideas:

* Your backyard
* A neighborhood park
* Your schoolyard
* A national forest
* A local zoo, aquarium, natural history museum - see which ones are contest partners

Next, capture your experience through art, writing, or photography; see the contest rules for details.

Finally, submit your entry!