Enter the 24th Annual Birdhouses Competition at Ogden Nature Center.

Get out your building tools, supplies and creativity and start building birdhouses. Entries are due March 20-25 at the Ogden Nature Center, 966 W. 12th Street, in Ogden. There is no entry fee. Entries will be divided by adults, children (unassisted) and team/family groups. A select jury of professional artists and bird experts will judge the competition and choose winners in several categories such as “best use of materials,” “most imaginative,” “best use of recycled/natural materials,” and “best form/function.” Birdhouses selected for the exhibit will be installed and displayed April 12 through June 24. Winners will receive cash prizes at an awards presentation on Wednesday, April 12 at 5:30 pm in the L.S. Peery Education Building at the Ogden Nature Center.

Registration forms and full details are also available online at ogdennaturecenter.org or fill out an entry form at the visitor services desk.. For more information, please call the Ogden Nature Center at 801-621-7595.

All types of birdhouses are welcome: whimsical, beautiful, practical, functional, artistic or magical – but they all need to be sturdy! All ages are welcome to enter up to two creations. Working as a family or as a team, i.e., grandfather/grandson, etc., is acceptable and encouraged! A helpful guide of dimension preferences for certain bird species can be found on the Nature Center’s website

Guidelines:

• All birdhouses must be original works created by the exhibitor. Commercially produced birdhouses or assembled kits will not be accepted.
• Size limitations: The base of the birdhouse may not exceed 24″ square. The height of the actual birdhouse (not including the post) may not exceed 36″ tall.
• All birdhouses must be freestanding on their own post and ready for installation outdoors. Birdhouses that are not freestanding will not be accepted for the exhibit. You must perch your birdhouse atop a sturdy post or attach a strong hanger. Posts will be installed at a depth of 1-2 feet, so plan for that extra footage that gets buried in the ground.
• The Nature Center encourages the use of natural, reclaimed and recycled materials. Please consider the environment when choosing your materials and finishes. Please, no propane tanks this year.
• Please build sturdy birdhouses. Birdhouses need to last through all seasons outdoors.
• The judges will select which birdhouses are accepted into the 2016 exhibit. A limited number of entries will be accepted for the exhibit.
• The Ogden Nature Center reserves the right to refuse submissions.

About the 2017 Judges:

• Debra Muller is the Assistant Director of the Eccles Art Center in Ogden, Utah. She is
  responsible for organizing exhibits, educational programs and special events.
• Arlo Wing is Assistant Wetlands Manager of the Salt Creek PSG, managing habitat improvement and water and facilities management.
• Amber Hansen is an award-winning fine artist residing in Pleasant View, Utah. Her work hangs in private collections throughout the U.S. In addition to a career as an artist, she has spent the last eight years as a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer.

This year’s Birdhouse Competition/Exhibit is sponsored by: Business Depot Ogden, Ogden City Arts, Big D Construction, Jeremiah’s Restaurant, Ogden Blue, Wasatch Audubon Society, Wild About Birds Nature Center, Shepherd’s Bush, Prairie Schooner, Booth Dental, Bloom Recyclers, Pat & Glen Richter, and the Robin & Brad Farr Family.