Submissions open soon for the 2020 Wyoming Game and Fish Department Conservation Stamp art contest. The subject of the 36th annual contest is the Colorado River cutthroat trout, and the winning image will be featured on the 2020 conservation stamp. Artists can start to submit their pieces beginning Jan. 2, 2019. The rulebook is online now for artists.

“We’re looking forward to another year of competitive, compelling submissions,” said Margaret James, who organizes the contest for Game and Fish. “One thing that is different this year is that there will be a monetary prize for first through fifth place, rather than just through third place as we have done in the past. We wanted to be able to recognize the depth of the high quality of entries, so this will allow artists more opportunity to benefit.” 

The Colorado River cutthroat trout is one of the four native cutthroat trout species in Wyoming. The fish were the only trout originally found in the Green River and Little Snake river drainages. It’s the most colorful of all the cutthroat, distinguished from other subspecies by its vibrancy and large spots. While the fish can vary widely in coloration and spotting, the Colorado River cutthroat has a bright, golden yellow body with an orange-tint along the belly and bright green back with large spots distributed evenly on body and caudal fin and a red or orange slash mark under its jaw.

It’s been 12 years since a trout was the subject of the stamp. The last was in 2006 with the Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

Entries must be received at Game and Fish Headquarters at the above address by 5 p.m. on March 1, 2019. An open house and awards ceremony to announce the winners will take place in late March or early April.