Bird of the Year

We are excited to announce the 2024 OFO Bird of The Year, the Bobolink! This bird was voted on by all members attending the convention on the weekend, narrowly beating out Upland Sandpiper by 20 votes. One of the most sought-after grassland species in the province, and also a very charismatic species with an interesting life history and beautiful plumage, the Bobolink will be a great emblem for our organization next year.

Now, we are putting out a call for Bobolink artwork from our members! If you would like a chance to see your art featured as a logo for a year, plus receive a $500 prize and have your work publicized in OFO News, then please submit your work! Below, you can find out how this will work. 

  • Artists will have until October 26th to submit their work, which is around four weeks from now.
  • After all the submissions are received, OFO members will have a week to vote on them, much like we did to choose the Bird of The Year. To ensure fair voting, the artwork won’t have the artists’ names shown at this time. 
  • Once a winner has been decided on, their design will be uploaded to Redbubble through the OFO account and anyone can go on there and purchase these items in time for the holiday season (hats, shirts, water bottles, etc.). 
  • In January, all submissions will be featured on the OFO website for a month with the artists’ names attached. So, even if you don’t win, your art will still have a chance to be shown.  

Curious about submission rules?  

  • No photographs or AI generated art 
  • If you are scanning your art from paper, have it at least 300dpi.  Higher if the piece is smaller than 8×10” physically.   
  • Digital art, traditional art (ink, paints, etc.) are accepted, however, we will not accept pencil/light sketching, as it will not show up well. 
  • Keep in mind that your art could be used on shirts, hats, or small items like water bottles or mouse pads. Something that will show up well at different sizes is ideal. 
  • Backgrounds are discouraged, but including some is fine.  
  • Please include “OFO” and “2024” on your artwork. How you choose to do this though is up to you. 
  • Submissions can be sent to art@ofo.ca. Once received, we will send you a release form so that we can display and use your art. 
  • Most importantly, have fun!!