New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Media contact: Dan Williams, (505) 476-8004
Public contact: (505) 476-8000
dan.williams@state.nm.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JAN. 20, 2010:

WILD ABOUT BASS? DESIGN A LICENSE PLATE LOGO, WIN A CASH PRIZE

SANTA FE -- The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is accepting entries in a contest to design a logo for the state's new bass fishing license plate.

Artists of all ages are invited to enter their original works in the contest. The grand prize winning entry will be reproduced on the state's bass fishing license plate, which will support bass habitat management in waters statewide. The grand prize winner will receive $500. Two $50 prizes will be awarded to winners in the youth division for artists whose 18th birthday is before March 1, 2010.

The New Mexico B.A.S.S. Federation Nation and the Department of Game and Fish are each paying half the prize money.

A bill passed by the 2009 state Legislature authorized the Motor Vehicle Division to issue the special bass fishing plate for any private motor vehicle except a motorcycle. Motorists can buy a plate for a one-time fee of $25 and an annual fee of $10 in addition to the regular registration fees. All but $10 of those fees will go to the Bass Habitat Management Program of the state Game Protection Fund.

The deadline for artwork submissions to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for the contest is March 1, 2010. Any two-dimensional media, including but not limited to prints, oils, pastels, acrylics, water media, pen and ink, graphite, photography, digital and mixed media will be considered.

Entries must be received by 5 p.m. March 1, 2010, in the Public Information and Outreach Division, Department of Game and Fish, 1 Wildlife Way, P.O. Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504. Entries will be returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope, or may be picked up at the Department office in Santa Fe after March 15. Artists should submit 35mm slides, prints, high-resolution digital images or original work. Artwork must include the artist's name, address, phone or e-mail and entry category. For more information about the contest, please call (505) 476-8004.

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