Butterfly Wings coloring contest: winners announced!

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications

Last month, in celebration of the new Molbak's Butterfly Garden, we asked artists of all ages to show us their most creative designs with the Butterfly Wings coloring contest. As 569 beautiful entries rolled in, we realized that picking the winners would be a daunting task!

The video above highlights just a few of the 569 entries we received.

To help us narrow down the contestants, we invited the entire zoo staff to vote for their favorites. After eight hours of voting, we finally have our winners. Drum roll, please...

Adults (13 years and older)

Grand prize winner: Melissa Jeffers, 21, “Butterflies in the Forest”

Melissa Jeffers, "Butterflies in the Forest." Melissa will receive the grand prize: a tour of Molbak’s Butterfly Garden with entomologist and butterfly expert Erin Sullivan and a private afternoon tea with cookies for up to six people. $50 Molbak’s gift card.

Runner up: Elissa Clough, 13, “The Butterfly Garden”

Elissa Clough, “The Butterfly Garden.” Elissa will receive the runner up prize: a basket of summer items from the ZooStore and a $25 Molbak’s gift certificate.

Children (ages 7-12)

Grand prize winner: Chloe Zhan, 10, “Exotic Wildlife”

Chloe Zhan “Exotic Wildlife.” Chloe will receive the grand prize: Overnight Adventure, Research After Dark, at the zoo for one child and one adult and a $50 Molbak’s gift certificate.

Runner up: Vivian Rice, 12, “Free to fly”

Vivian Rice, 12, “Free to fly.” Vivian will receive the runner up prize: Woodland Park Zoo t-shirt and $25 Molbak’s gift certificate. 

Children (ages 2-6)

Grand prize winner: Breckon Vanbuecken, 4, “The Fortress of Solitude”

Breckon Vanbuecken,  “The Fortress of Solitude.” Breckon will receive the grand prize: ZooParent plush and animal adoption kit. $50 Molbak’s gift certificate.

Runner up: Evie Manges, 5, “Buzz Buzz Garden”

Evie Manges, “Buzz Buzz Garden.” Evie will receive runner up: Woodland Park Zoo t-shirt and $25 Molbak’s gift certificate. 

Honorable Mentions
With so many wonderful pieces of art, we'd also like to share our list of honorable mentions. Here are a few more that really caught our eye!

Kayla Powlesland, 19, "PokeGarden"

Eden Benavides, 7, "Eden's Garden

Olivia George Blanchard, 3, "Butterflies, butterflies!"

Alice Graf, 4, "Butterfly Meadow"

Milly Ware, 9, "Butterfly Wings"

Nicholas Thio, 3, "Butterflies in my garden"

Sydney King, 6, "Butterfly meadow"

Dhriti Patel, 5, "Butterfly Wings"

Makena Easley, 12, "The Cosmos of Butterflies"

Rozzy Ware, 11 “Flutters at Twilight.”

Thanks to all the artists who entered the contest and special thanks to Molbak's Garden and Home for their generous donation of prizes! Remember to check out the Molbak's Butterfly Garden, free with zoo admission. 

Are you a participant looking for your artwork? You may pick up your Butterfly Wings coloring entry at Woodland Park Zoo’s West Membership office any time between August 5 –August 19 during the hours of 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday – Sunday. You may be asked to show some form of I.D. If you are picking up artwork for others, please have their first and last name as well as their age to help facilitate an easy pick up. Thank you for participating!