New York, NY –The American Kennel Club® and Cat Fanciers’ Association® are pleased to announce the results of the Meet the Breeds™ Art Contest.
“Best in Show – Overall” and “Best in Show – Dog” were awarded to Alyssa, a 16-year– old 9th grader from Trumbull High School in Trumbull, CT. Alyssa’s portrait of a Siberian Husky was drawn with color pencils and pastels and will be hung with the nearly 150 pieces of art received from student artists from Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. “Best in Show-Cat” was awarded to Jordan, a 10-year-old 5th grader from Fred W. Hill School in Brockport, NY who created a Himalayan cat using oil pastels.
“Congratulations to the winners of Meet the Breeds Art Contest – their work was superb and truly depicts the spirit behind the Meet the Breeds event,” said Andrea Lane, AKC’s Manager of Public Education. “We were also excited to receive so many great pieces, and look forward to welcoming the students and their families to the Javits Center in October where they’ll be able to admire their work.”
Children from schools and community groups were encouraged to submit artwork featuring a purebred dog or cat in celebration of this unique event. The contest was open to students from ages six through seventeen that were enrolled in grades 1-12 as of June 15, 2009 and who lived in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut. They were allowed to draw, paint or design on a computer a purebred breed recognized by either the American Kennel Club (www.akc.org) or Cat Fanciers’ Association (www.cfa.org).
In addition to the overall winners, awards were also presented in grade level and dog/cat breed categories, as well as themed categories such as dogs doing what they were bred to do, dogs or cats participating in an event, dogs or cats participating in an activity that highlights the human/animal bond, and best entry depicting a dog’s country of origin. Overall winners received gift cards and rosettes. A panel of judges, including Westminster Kennel Club commentator David Frei and children’s author Seymour Simon, selected the winners.
All submitted pieces will be hung at the Jacob Javits Center on October 17-18, 2009. The largest showcase of its kind in the world, Meet the Breeds plans to showcase 160 AKC registered dog breeds and 41 CFA registered cat breeds, allowing potential pet owners to interact with responsible breeders and play with dogs, cats, puppies and kittens while educating themselves about responsible pet ownership and how to choose the right pet for them.