Global Canvas Children’s Art Competition

Global Canvas children’s art competition is an annual international art contest run by DSWF, to encourage creativity from young people, to display thought and concern for our planet’s environment and the incredible wildlife that inhabits it.

Artwork by Aleksandra

Set up in 2004 by DSWF’s founder, wildlife artist and conservationist David Shepherd, each year, the competition receives thoughtful and creative entries from all over the world, with an amazing array of interpretations of the year’s theme.

Visit the Global Canvas 2024 finalists gallery

Artwork by Li

Why enter Global Canvas?

Celebrating the creative talent and expression of young people on a global scale. Each year we are astounded at the level of creativity, detail and thought put into each and every piece, making our job of selecting the winners very difficult.

Inspiring the next generation of wildlife conservationists. Global Canvas is also an opportunity for young people to learn and explore environmental issues. Giving them a platform to convey their conservation message.

Creating a community of wildlife activists and artists. The passion for animals is clearly evident within the Global Canvas entries we have received to date. We are delighted to bring everyone together at our Virtual Awards Ceremony to celebrate everyone taking part.

Artwork by Isabelle
Education
2nd May 2024
Global Canvas Winners 2024
It’s been a week since the live final of Global Canvas 2024! With 1,828 entries from 71 countries, this year’s competition was the biggest…
Continue reading

Who can enter Global Canvas?

Children and young people aged 16 and under are encouraged to enter Global Canvas. You can enter as an Individual or a Group.

Individuals and Groups are judged separately and categorised by age groups, so children of all ages are in with a chance of winning their age category. We announce the winner of 3rd, 2nd and 1st place in each of the age categories.

You can enter one of the following categories:

Individuals Groups
Ages 4-7 years Ages 4-7 years
Ages 8-11 years Ages 8-11 years
Ages 8-11 years Ages 8-11 years

 

Global Canvas 2023 Winners
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Creating a display for Global Canvas
Artwork By Dyneeka

How to enter Global Canvas?

Global Canvas is completely free to enter. We accept online entries, where participants can enter images and videos of their artwork, along with their contact details so we can keep you up to date on the competition.

All artwork will then be reviewed by our judges and the winners will be announced in a Virtual Awards Ceremony.

We will publish further details of how to enter the 2025 Global Canvas competition on our website. Entries for the 2025 Global Canvas competition will open in September 2024, so make sure you check back then, so you can submit your masterpiece.

Below you can find some useful resources on creating artwork for Global Canvas including exclusive video masterclasses from previous Wildlife Artist of the Year finalists.

Global Canvas Masterclasses

Created by Wildlife Artist of the Year finalists – our masterclasses have been designed exclusively for Global Canvas applicants. We will be publishing upcoming masterclasses, here.

See the first in our series of art masterclasses >

2024… Another record breaking year!

We were delighted to receive a record-breaking number of entries, and the creativity and innovation on display was truly exceptional.

After a comprehensive judging process, winners were announced at our live Awards Ceremony which you can watch here.

1,828

3,535

71

Entries Children Involved Countries
Artwork by Angela Zhang
Wildlife Artist of the Year Finalist 2023
Artwork by Imogen Christian

Aged 15 or over and a budding wildlife artist?

Young wildlife artists between the ages of 15 and 19 are invited to enter the ‘Youth Exclusive’ category in our Wildlife Artist of the Year competition. Click the button to find out more.