Generation Conservation Summit 2026: Complete List of Winners

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s 2nd annual Arkansas Generation Conservation Summit 2026 attracted more than 2,000 students from across Arkansas, with winners from North Central Arkansas and surrounding communities bringing home major awards in wildlife conservation, science, technology, forestry, fishing and outdoor education.

The 2-day event was held November 4-5, 2026, at Bank OZK Arena and the Hot Springs Convention Center.

According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, participation increased dramatically over the inaugural summit in 2025. The number of participating schools and groups climbed from 110 to 185, a 68% increase, and student attendance more than doubled.

The summit brought together students from elementary, middle, junior high and high schools for hands-on conservation experiences and statewide competitions covering wildlife management, fisheries conservation, outdoor recreation, environmental education and natural resource protection.

North Central Arkansas Schools Bring Home Major Honors Norfork High School: 1st Place Culinary

Norfork High School in Baxter County captured 1st place in the high school culinary competition, sponsored by Buc-ee’s. Norfork students Jovee Webster, Adelynn Lubbock and Phineas Bitting earned the top honor with their preparation of specklebelly goose.

Izard County STEM High School: 2 Major Wins

Izard County STEM High School earned 1st place in 2 statewide competitions. Student Gage Nielson won the high school Debate competition, and the school captured 1st place in the high school Video Recap competition, sponsored by Stone Ward.

Melbourne Middle School: 1st Place GIS Story Map Design

Melbourne Middle School captured 1st place in the middle school GIS Story Map Design competition, which challenged students to combine geographic information with visual storytelling and environmental education.

Timbo Middle and High Schools: BioQuest Champions

Timbo Middle School won 1st place in the middle school AGFC BioQuest competition, and Timbo High School captured 1st place in the high school AGFC BioQuest competition.

Sulphur Rock Elementary: 1st Place STEM in Conservation

Sulphur Rock Elementary School earned 1st place in the elementary STEM in Conservation competition, sponsored by Rausch Companies and Cornell Lab of Ornithology K-12 Education.

Clinton Junior High: Forestry Champion

Cooper Pate of Clinton Junior High School captured 1st place in the middle school Forestry competition, sponsored by Foundation Life Insurance and the Arkansas Forestry Association.

Pangburn Middle School: Air Rifle Champion

Jase Bell of Pangburn Middle School won 1st place in the middle school Air Rifle competition, sponsored by Kalkomey.

Brookland Junior High: STEM and Junior Cadet Honors

Brookland Junior High School earned 1st place in middle school STEM in Conservation, and Aiden Looney of Brookland Junior High captured 1st place in the middle school Junior Cadet Challenge.

Flippin Elementary: Quiz Bowl Champion

Flippin Elementary School captured 1st place in the elementary Quiz Bowl competition, sponsored by First Security Bank.

St. Joe Elementary: Game Calling Champion

St. Joe Elementary School earned 1st place in elementary Game Calling, sponsored by Banded.

Will he bite? Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Education Division Assistant Chief Eric Maynard introduces a young alligator to a student during the Generation Conservation Summit. 2026 Overall Division Champions Overall Elementary School Winner: Jasper Elementary School Overall Middle School Winner: Lincoln Middle School Overall High School Winner: Lincoln High School Complete List of 2026 Generation Conservation Summit Winners The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recognized winners across 21 competition categories:

1. Conservation Magazine Spread

Elementary: Mt. Judea School Middle School: Wynne Junior High School High School: Har-Ber 2. Nature Center Exhibit Design

Sponsor: Nabholz Construction Group

Elementary: Mt. Judea School Middle School: Hellstern Middle School High School: Lincoln High School 3. STEM in Conservation

Sponsor: Rausch Companies and Cornell Lab of Ornithology K-12 Education

Elementary: Sulphur Rock Elementary School Middle School: Brookland Jr. High School High School: Hamburg High School 4. GIS Story Map Design

Elementary: Thurman G. Smith Elementary School Middle School: Melbourne Middle School High School: Hamburg High School 5. Social Media

Sponsor: Arkansas Office of Outdoor Recreation

Middle School: Helen Tyson Middle School High School: Lincoln High School 6. Archery

Sponsor: Easton Foundation

Elementary: Conor Jones, Arrie Goforth Elementary Middle School: Jhett Jennett, Valley Springs High School: Travis Cook, Lead Hill 7. Aquatic ID

Sponsor: Old Hickory Sauce Company

Elementary: Cooper Elementary School Middle School: Mt. Judea School High School: Cossatot River High School 8. Air Rifle

Sponsor: Kalkomey

Elementary: Trennen Adams, Jasper Elementary School Middle School: Jase Bell, Pangburn Middle School High School: Isaac Campbell, Mt. Judea 9. Plant ID

Middle School: Abbey Jewell, Jewell Family Homeschool High School: Abby Mies, Har-Ber 10. Wildlife ID

Sponsor: Safari Club International Arkansas Chapter

Elementary: Mt. Judea Elementary School Middle School: Leslie Intermediate School High School: Genoa Central High School 11. Casting

Sponsor: Vexus Boats

Elementary: Canyon Davis, Acorn Elementary School Middle School: Sawyer Cross, Mt. Judea Middle School High School: Kolby Middleton, Deer High School 12. Forestry

Sponsor: Foundation Life Insurance and Arkansas Forestry Association

Elementary: Ziva Gangidi, Don Roberts Elementary School (K-5) Middle School: Cooper Pate, Clinton Junior High School High School: Kiley Vick, Harmony Grove-Camden High School 13. AGFC BioQuest

Middle School: Timbo Middle School High School: Timbo High School 14. Culinary

Sponsor: Buc-ee’s

Middle School: Wynne Junior High School High School: Norfork High School 15. Debate

Middle School: Kasen Smith, Deer Middle School High School: Gage Nielson, Izard County STEM High School 16. Quiz Bowl

Sponsor: First Security Bank

Elementary: Flippin Elementary School Middle School: Hellstern Middle School High School: Har-Ber High School 17. Game Calling

Sponsor: Banded

Elementary: St. Joe Elementary School Middle School: L. M. Goza Middle School High School: Lonoke High School 18. Junior Cadet Challenge

Sponsor: Lighthouse Financial

Middle School: Aiden Looney, Brookland Jr. High High School: Henry Martin, Mt. Judea 19. Career Readiness

Sponsor: Legacy Ranch Leadership

High School: Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts 20. Photography

Sponsor: Family of Tom Kennon

Elementary: Aarish Danish, Don Roberts Elementary School (K-5) Middle School: Diesel Sides, Wynne Junior High School High School: AnnMarie Eldridge, Lamar Sponsor: Stone Ward

Elementary: Jasper Elementary School Middle School: Wynn Middle School High School: Izard County STEM High School Wild Kingdom Host Inspires Students One of the highlights of the summit was a keynote presentation by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, wildlife ecologist and host of NBC’s “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” on Wednesday evening, November 4.

Wynn-Grant shared her personal journey into wildlife conservation. She grew up in an urban environment with limited opportunities to experience the outdoors, and her interest in wildlife began through magazines and television programs. While in college, she took part in research in Kenya. Today, she specializes in wildlife ecology, particularly large carnivores such as bears, and has appeared in television programs featuring Arkansas wildlife, including bears and alligator gar in the Red River.

“There is a place in wildlife conservation for you,” she told students.

Follow my lead: Wildlife ecologist and television host Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant encourages Arkansas students to consider careers in conservation during the keynote presentation. Hands-On Conservation Experiences Students participated in fishing, wildlife identification, conservation science, shooting sports, rock climbing, mapping, nature education and outdoor skill competitions.

One display featured a stream table filled with sand and water, where students learned how moving water changes the landscape, how erosion can damage stream habitats and how AGFC Stream Team and Stream Habitat programs work to restore damaged waterways.

Not building sand castles: Students use a stream table to discover how water erodes land and how the AGFC restores damaged stream habitats. Additional exhibits included a 20-foot-tall inflatable turkey and a 30-foot-long inflatable largemouth bass. Students could also climb through a large inflatable cave, practice fishing lure casting, learn about wildlife anatomy and observe wildlife up close, including a young alligator.

Former AGFC Commissioner Praises Growth Former Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioner Bobby Martin, who helped develop the summit and served as commission chairman from 2022 through 2024, praised the event’s growth.

“It’s amazing,” Martin said following the summit. He said continued growth will require additional support from sponsors and community partners, and that investment in conservation education is an investment in Arkansas’s future.

Summit Represents Work of Entire Game and Fish Commission Mary Beth Hatch, chief of the AGFC Education Division, said the summit was designed to reflect the work of the entire agency. Although the Education Division organizes the event, staff members from across the AGFC serve as judges, competition leaders and instructors, showing students the variety of careers in wildlife management and conservation.

Sponsors Help Make Event Possible The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation helped secure sponsorships. Participating sponsors included Nabholz Construction Group, Rausch Companies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology K-12 Education, the Arkansas Office of Outdoor Recreation, Easton Foundation, Old Hickory Sauce Company, Kalkomey, Safari Club International Arkansas Chapter, Vexus Boats, Foundation Life Insurance, Arkansas Forestry Association, Buc-ee’s, First Security Bank, Banded, Lighthouse Financial, Legacy Ranch Leadership, Family of Tom Kennon and Stone Ward.

Event Summary Event: 2nd Annual Generation Conservation Summit Organizer: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Dates: November 4-5, 2026 Location: Bank OZK Arena and Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, Arkansas Student Attendance: More than 2,000 Participating Schools and Groups: 185 (up from 110, a 68% increase) Complete Official Winners Information: https://www.agfc.com/education/generation-conservation/ ArkansasRadio.com congratulates all the students, teachers, schools and sponsors who participated in the 2026 Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Generation Conservation Summit.

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Generation Conservation Summit 2026: Complete List of Winners

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