Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) by Ginny Neil, VMN Alleghany Highlands Chapter. This artwork was selected to be the basis of our 2027 VMN Recertification Pin.
Each year, previously certified VMN volunteers who complete another 40 hours of approved volunteer service and 8 hours of approved continuing education earn a unique recertification pin for that year. In most years, we have held a contest to choose the artwork for the pin; we are fortunate to have many VMN volunteers with artistic talent! We decided the 2027 recertification pin theme would be salamanders. Virginia is home to more than 50 species of salamanders, including several endemic species found nowhere else in the world. Virginia Master Naturalists help collect data on some salamander species through our vernal pools project.
Contest Judging
We invited VMN volunteers to submit their artwork of any salamander species native to Virginia. Popular species among the submissions included the red salamander (Virginia’s state salamander, Pseudotriton ruber), the Eastern red-spotted newt (Notophthamus viridescent), and the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum).
The winning artwork was chosen based on judging by two salamander experts who have worked with VMN volunteers on salamander projects: Wally Smith (Professor, UVA Wise) and Dr. Kevin Hamed (Associate Professor, Virginia Tech). Kat Myer (VMN Student Assistant) rounded out the team of judges. VMN Program Assistant Tiffany Brown also weighed in as a tie-breaker.
About the Winning Artist and Species
The judges’ decisions were hard, because we had such an amazing array of salamander illustrations! We are excited to share all of the submissions here and to announce that the winning artwork is the Spotted Salamander by Ginny Neil, a volunteer in our Alleghany Highlands Chapter. Ginny also is a retired award-winning teacher and the author/illustrator of three children’s picture books about the natural world: THE GLORIOUS FOREST THAT FIRE BUILT (Amicus Ink, 2023), SALAMANDER SONG (Tilbury House Publishing, 2025) and A RIVER OF WIND (Amicus Ink, 2026). Her fourth book, GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU IS ALL THE STARS (Worthy Kids Press) releases in February 2027. Congratulations, Ginny!
Ginny wrote, “I chose the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) because their existence depends on the perfect alignment of water and temperature. Our warming climate is changing when vernal pools form and how long they last. One of the saddest sights I have ever seen was a dry depression where a vernal pool had recently existed. It was dotted with dried egg masses-a whole generation of spotted salamanders lost to climate change. Plus, this super-powered salamander is the only known vertebrate with algae in its cells which lets it create a little energy in its body from the sun.”
All Contributed Salamander Artwork
Thank you to everyone who submitted their artwork! We are excited to share all the submissions for everyone to enjoy.
Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notophthamus viridescent viridescent) by Colleen Sweet, VMN Middle Peninsula Chapter.Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) by Sarah Burnett, VMN Roanoke Valley Chapter.Marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) by Kayla Hinrichs, VMN Arlington Regional Chapter.Red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) by Douglas Burkett, VMN Central Blue Ridge Chapter.Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) by Kelly Brown, VMN Arlington Regional Chapter.Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) by Debra Shumate, VMN Tidewater Chapter.Red eft stage of the Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) by William Hamersky, VMN Rivanna Chapter.Red eft stage of the Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) by Art Ritter, VMN Riverine Chapter.Shenandoah Salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) by Linda Duncan, VMN Old Rag Chapter.Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) by Emily Phillips, VMN Rivanna Chapter.Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) by Deidre Pistochini (VMN Fairfax Chapter).Northern Red Salamander (seudotriton ruber ruber) by Mike Grose, VMN Middle Peninsula Chapter.Northern Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber ruber) by Olivia Gathright, VMN Rivanna ChapterEft stage of the Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) by Stephanie Hollister, VMN Central Rappahannock Chapter.Eastern Red-Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) by Cathryn Good, VMN Rivanna Chapter.White-spotted Slimy Salamander (Plethodon cylindraceus) by Laura Gilmore, VMN Arlington Regional Chapter.Peaks of Otter Salamander (Plethodon hubrichti) by Jan Lanier, VMN Roanoke Valley Chapter.Peaks of Otter Salamander (Plethodon hubrichti) by Claire Spangler, VMN Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter.Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum) by Sara Happeny, VMN Riverine Chapter.Northern Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) by Daria Kiselica, VMN Rivanna Chapter.Blue Ridge Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber nitidus) by Kathleen Stewart, VMN Fairfax Chapter.Northern Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinosus) by Megan Buetow, VMN Rivanna Chapter.Adult Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) by Jennifer Smith, VMN Historic Rivers Chapter.Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) by Rosalind Ilett, VMN Roanoke Valley Chapter.Red eft stage of the Eastern Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) by Sheri McGuire, VMN Central Piedmont Chapter.Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) by James Sacra, VMN Southern Piedmont Chapter.Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) by Sidney Burke, VMN Southern Piedmont Chapter.Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinya) by Gina Fratiani, VMN Peninsula Chapter.Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) by Ginny Neil, VMN Alleghany Highlands Chapter. This artwork was selected to be the basis of our 2027 VMN Recertification Pin.
