Arkansas Envirothon is an affiliate of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon.
NCF Envirothon is North America's largest high school environmental education competition.
Thank you to everyone who made the 2026 contest so successful!
Participants in 2026 Envirothon Contest
Arkansas Envirothon Goals
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Increase students' knowledge of total quality management of our natural resources
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Promote environmental awareness and stewardship
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Develop student's critical thinking, cooperative problem solving, and decision-making skills
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Present balanced options for management of our renewable and nonrenewable natural resources
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Provide awareness of and accessibility to resource organizations offering assistance in environmental issues
Arkansas Envirothon Overview
Envirothon is a contest for 9th - 12th graders
Before the contest
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Identify an advisor who is interested in starting an Envirothon program
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Form an Envirothon team (five students and one alternate)
Envirothon coach and team
Envirothon coach and team
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Register for the Arkansas Envirothon State Competition and pay $100 registration fee
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If more than 20 teams register, than an online competition may be held to determine which teams will compete in person at the state contest
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Team trains in the four areas: aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, and wildlife using the study materials on this website
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Learn basics for the current issue of the year to help with oral presentation preparation (Soil Health Management in 2027)
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When the scenario is emailed to registered teams, prepare a 20-minute PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation
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Oral presentations can be emailed to arkansasenvirothoncontact@gmail.com
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Feel free to bring a copy of the presentation on a USB drive as a backup
The Day of the Contest
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Registration is typically from 8 - 8:30 AM
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Every team draws a team registration number they will use throughout the day
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Team Orientation is from 8:30 - 8:50 AM
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Coaches are then offered a space on site away from the testing
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Teams rotate through 5 stations. They spend 30 minutes at each station and there are 15 minutes to move between stations.
Sample schedule for Envirothon state contest if 20 teams participate. Gray shading for teams 17, 18, 19, 20 reveal the pattern followed.
The five team members work together to take 100-point tests for each of the following: aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, and wildlife
A team at the aquatic section working through the test questions together.
Team handing in the forestry test.
The teams know how to read a Web Soil Survey report. Do you? Check out the study materials to learn the basics.
A team working on the wildlife test general knowledge questions. The table in the background had the hands-on items for identification.
Oral Presentation
The team will give their oral presentation to a panel of judges for up to 20-minutes. The judges can ask questions for a maximum of 10 minutes. The oral presentation is worth a maximum of 200 points.
Arkansas Envirothon Judge's Scoresheet for Team Presentation
Winners are announced the day of the contest
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The highest scoring team for each area will be announced first and receive certificates.
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The first place team is the team that has the highest score out of 600 points possible for the aquatics, forestry, soil, wildlife and oral presentation.
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The first place team receives $500.
2026 First Place Team with their coach
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The second place team receives $250.
2026 Second Place Team with their coach
If the winning team of the state contest scores an average of 75% on the four written tests, the team will be able to represent Arkansas Envirothon at the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon contest www.envirothon.org
2027 NCF Envirothon Contest
will be held on July 25 - 31, 2027
at Mount St. Mary's University
in Emmitsburg, Maryland
2027 Special Topic provided by the Maryland host committee
Soil Health Management: Agricultural Principles and Stewardship
"Soil Health Principles emphasize the importance of treating soil as a living ecosystem and are the cornerstone for resilient agriculture and ensuring the long-term protection of our natural resources.
This Envirothon issue explores the biological, chemical, and physical principles of soil health and their importance to sustainable agriculture. Students will learn how soil functions as a living ecosystem, how management practices affect soil processes (nutrient cycling, water dynamics, agricultural sustainability), and how to evaluate and improve soil health on farms."