Announcing the 17th Annual International Kids Art Contest, 2026
Theme: Humanity
Calling all children ages 3-18!
Deadline: 12.31.2026
We hope children will be inspired to express what is most important to them. The theme for 2026 is “Humanity.” When developing their concepts their art can be about whatever Humanity means to them.
Whether people are protecting, rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing wildlife; protecting sealife including coral reefs; helping those less fortunate who need food, clothing or housing or just wanting to preserve our cities and neighborhoods. We look forward to every child’s submission.
Warm regards,
Susan Newman Lerer
Founder and President, Frogs Are Green, Inc., A NJ nonprofit organization
We award winners in these age groups: 3-6, 7-9, 10-12, 13-18. We also add winning categories based on what we receive, such as: best 3D art; best environmental art; best black and white art and more. Award certificates are given to 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place and honorable mention students in each age group and specific categories.
Deadline for submissions is: December 31, 2026 and the winners will be announced around February 1, 2027. The winners will be featured in a blog post. Many of the submitted artworks are shared online, through our website, social media and in awareness materials. (By entering, you grant Frogs Are Green, Inc. permission to use your artwork for these purposes. Credit to the artists will be included.)
Instructions for entering:
To enter the contest, you create an account for free on Flickr. You upload your images and make sure they are facing in the right direction. YOU MUST add the child’s full name, age, and location (school, state, country). Then you join the kids art contest group (and the right age group) on Flickr and just add your entry to the group from your gallery. Each child can submit up to 3 artworks. Teachers can upload student’s work and parents can upload their children’s work. If you are in a country where you cannot view the Flickr website, you can email your digital images to Frogs Are Green along with the child’s name, age and state/country, and we will add the image to the correct group.
Flickr Group Links to Enter:
2026 Kids Art Contest – ages 3-6
2026 Kids Art Contest – ages 7-9
2026 Kids Art Contest – ages 10-12
2026 Kids Art Contest – ages 13-18
Endorsed by: The City of Jersey City, Jersey City Cultural Affairs, Hoboken Cultural Affairs, Save The Frogs, Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), Pershing Field Garden Friends, Amphibian Ark, HARCC, Friends of Liberty State Park, Jersey City Parks Coalition, Camp Liberty, Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), Association Mitsinjo, and ACSAM (A Conservation Strategy for the Amphibians of Madagascar.)
The growing list of countries who have participated in the Frogs Are Green international kids art contest: Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Cuba, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldova, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Wales, and United States.
Please Donate:
Our contest is FREE to enter, as always. However, if you would like to help our nonprofit organization, please donate whatever you can.
Judges for 2026
Anita Kunz
Canadian by birth, Anita Kunz has lived in London, New York and Toronto, contributing to magazines and working for design firms internationally. She has produced cover art for many magazines including Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Time Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly and The New York Times Magazine. She has also illustrated more than fifty book jacket covers.
She has been honored with many prestigious awards and medals and her critically acclaimed paintings and sculptures have appeared in galleries worldwide, including the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts and the Teatrio Cultural Association in Rome, Italy. Her works are in the permanent collections at the Library of Congress, The Norman Rockwell Museum. the Canadian Archives in Ottawa, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, and a few of her Time Magazine cover paintings are in the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Anita has been named one of the fifty most influential women in Canada by the National Post newspaper. She has lectured and taught in such far flung places as India and Istanbul.
She has received three honorary doctorates from universities in the USA and Canada. She has been appointed Officer of the Order of Canada, and received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal of Honor.
She has been inducted into the New York Society of Illustrators Museum of Illustration Hall of Fame.
Visit: https://anitakunz.com/
Elwood Smith
Elwood H. Smith studied art at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the Institute of Design at IIT in Chicago before pursing a long career as a full-time illustrator.
In 1976, Elwood moved to New York City, establishing himself as one of the most recognizable professionals in the field of illustration.
Elwood has written and illustrated numerous children’s books, two for the Creative Company, “I’m Not a Pig in Underpants” and “How To Draw
With Your Funny Bone.”
He has been the recipient of many awards and honors in the field of illustration.
Elwood currently lives in Great Barrington, MA, with his companion, Janice Kittner.
Julie Steelman
Julie E. Steelman is an author, entrepreneur, financial freedom advocate, and passionate wildlife photographer. Her love of wildlife has taken her around the world, photographing animals in their natural habitats and deepening her belief in the power of art to connect us with the natural world.
Julie is delighted to serve as a judge for Frogs Are Green and celebrate young artists using their creativity to explore and protect our planet.
Kristin J. DeAngelis
Kristin J. DeAngelis is an artist, curator, and arts professional based in Jersey City. With over 15 years of experience spanning arts leadership, sales, and education, her work bridges creative practice and institutional strategy. In 2016, she founded 107 Bowers Gallery & ArtSpace, where she produced 25 exhibitions featuring both local and international artists, fostering dialogue and visibility across diverse creative communities.
Kristin has collaborated with organizations including SILVERMAN Buildings and Art Fair 14C, where she served as Deputy Director, supporting large-scale exhibition production and regional arts advocacy. Her curatorial approach centers on thoughtful artist development, community engagement, and sustainable growth within the cultural sector.
She currently serves as Senior Director of Strategies and Operations at Mana Contemporary, where she leads institutional growth initiatives, strengthens operational frameworks, and supports curatorial strategy. Across her roles, Kristin focuses on expanding artist visibility, building collaborative partnerships, and creating platforms that connect contemporary art to broader audiences.
Visit: http://www.deangelisart.com/
Steve Brodner
Steve Brodner (born October 19, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York) is a satirical illustrator, editorial cartoonist, and caricaturist working for publications in the US since the 1970s. He is accepted in the fields of journalism and the graphic arts as a master of the editorial idiom. Currently a regular contributor to GQ, The Nation, Newsweek, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, Brodner's art journalism has appeared in major magazines and newspapers in the United States, such as Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Esquire, Time, Playboy, Mother Jones, Harper's, and The Atlantic. His work, first widely seen exposing and attacking Reagan Era scandals, is credited with helping spearhead the 1980s revival of pointed and entertaining graphic commentary in the US. He is currently working on a book about the presidents of the United States. He posts to his blog, The Greater Quiet on Substack.
Todd Radom
Todd Radom is a designer, sports branding expert, and writer. His work includes the official logos for Super Bowl XXXVIII, the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, the 2014, 2016, and 2018 MLB All-Star Games, the graphic identities of multiple Major League Baseball teams—including the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels—and league, team identity, and branding for Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league. Among the leading creators in the professional sports industry, his three decades of work have resulted in some of the most familiar icons of our popular culture.
Todd currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, the School of Visual Arts. He also volunteers for the Baseball Assistance Team, an organization dedicated to assisting members of the professional baseball community who are in need.
Visit: https://www.toddradom.com/
Wendell Minor
Wendell Minor has illustrated, written and collaborated with many awesome authors. As a nature lover and history buff, Wendell loves sharing those interests with children through more than 60 books he has had published.
Wendell is a member of the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.
His newest books are Wendell Minor’s America: 25 Years of Children’s Art; Hi, I’m Norman; Smitten with Kittens; Pumpkin Heads; Crowbar; Breaking Waves and The Leather Apron Club.
His books have received the Cook Prize, Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young Children, Outstanding Science Trade Books, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library selection, Pennsylvania One Book Every Young Child selection, ALA Notable Book, John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers.
Wendell was honored to be named the 2018-2019 Artist Laureate of the Norman Rockwell Museum.
Visit Wendell at: www.minorart.com and on Facebook.
Mark Lerer
Mark Lerer simultaneously inhabits the worlds of cartooning, illustration, and fine art. He holds an M.F.A. from the New York Academy of Art and has exhibited his drawings at New York City’s Nexus Gallery, Broome Street Gallery, Lincoln Center’s Cork Gallery, and New Century Artists.
He has illustrated Rainforest Frogs and the forthcoming Frogs & Co. for Frogs Are Green, and been delighting his Facebook friends with the adventures of The Little General (based on a concept by Andrew Coe), most recently in a full-color graphic novel.
Susan Newman Lerer, Founder and Director
Susan Newman Lerer, is an award-winning brand visibility designer and environmentalist. As the founder of FROGS ARE GREEN she spends her days spreading the awareness that we need to save frogs, amphibians and all wildlife. She has authored 4 books and has two more in production.
A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Susan spent her early career working as a graphic designer and art director for various NYC publishers, including Macmillan and Penguin. In 1994, she established her own design firm, Susan Newman Design, and builds brands near and far.
Susan teaches art in Hoboken, NJ.