BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Wildlife Federation and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are now accepting applications for the Youth Hunter of the Year Award.

A panel of judges will select one boy and one girl who best represented the joy, thrill and camaraderie of hunting.

To be eligible, youth hunters must be Louisiana residents who were 15 years old or younger at the time of the hunt. The hunt must have taken place between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31.

To enter, applicants need to submit a completed application form, a short story written by the young hunter describing the hunt and photos from the hunt.

A few other things to know about eligibility: the hunt does not have to result in an animal being harvested, only one entry is allowed per youth hunter and previous winners are not eligible.

Applications are due Jan. 31, 2027.

The two winners will each receive a plaque and a gift card. They will also be recognized at the Louisiana Wildlife Federation's 61st Annual Conservation Achievement Awards banquet in April 2027.

Everyone who enters will be included in a drawing for a $100 gift card.

Natalie Perkins of DeRidder and Madden Dowden of Elm Grove were the 2025 Louisiana Youth Hunters of the Year. For more information, visit the LWF Hunter of the Year webpage.