For five years, a global collective of photographers, visual artists, nature advocates, and wildlife enthusiasts has united around a single, vital objective: granting Costa Rica’s vulnerable fauna a second chance at life in the wild. What originally launched under various campaign banners such as #TRRShareYourShot, #CallForArtists, and #TunesForToucans has steadily evolved into a unified, high-impact movement. Today, organizers proudly introduce its permanent identity—Share to Save—a name that directly encapsulates the core purpose of the initiative. Share to Save functions as an international creative bridge, leveraging the power of art, photography, and design to elevate public awareness and generate essential funding for wildlife rescue, medical rehabilitation, and long-term conservation efforts.
A Half-Decade Evolution in Wildlife Advocacy
The trajectory of Share to Save highlights a remarkable shift in how digital communities and creative industries can directly influence grassroots environmentalism. Over the past five years, the initiative has transitioned from fragmented, campaign-specific calls to action into a streamlined, global platform. By inviting creatives from every corner of the earth to contribute their original visual perspectives, the project has broken down geographic barriers to conservation.
Art has consistently served as a powerful medium for environmental advocacy, translating complex ecological crises into relatable, emotionally resonant imagery. Through Share to Save, this philosophy is put into practice. The initiative demonstrates that creativity is not merely an aesthetic pursuit, but a functional tool for habitat protection, species survival, and community engagement.
The 2026 Theme: Creatives for Conservation
For its latest iteration, Share to Save has announced its official theme: Creatives for Conservation. This year’s campaign calls upon creators of all backgrounds, techniques, and skill levels to submit original artwork, photography, digital designs, and multimedia pieces inspired by wildlife and the urgent necessity of ecological preservation.
The submission process has been designed to maximize global participation while respecting artist autonomy. Selected works will be featured in a prominent live physical gallery exhibition in Costa Rica, merging contemporary art with frontline conservation to tell the compelling stories of both native wildlife and the caretakers fighting for their survival. Crucially, all exhibition pieces will be printed locally within Costa Rica. This operational choice ensures that international artists can participate seamlessly from anywhere in the world without the logistical and environmental burdens of international shipping, while retaining absolute ownership of their intellectual property.
Financial Realities of Frontline Wildlife Rescue
While the artistic exhibitions provide cultural and emotional resonance, the operational realities of running a top-tier wildlife facility require substantial, consistent capital. At the heart of this initiative is the Toucan Rescue Ranch (TRR), a renowned rescue center in Costa Rica that annually welcomes more than 500 animals arriving injured, orphaned, or displaced from their natural habitats.
Caring for hundreds of distressed animals simultaneously demands extensive resources. Operations require specialized veterinary infrastructure, around-the-clock clinical attention, customized daily nutritional regimens, physical rehabilitation protocols, and secure, species-appropriate enclosures designed to prepare animals for eventual rewilding. Consequently, maintaining the rescue center, sanctuary facilities, and release sites requires a staggering operating budget exceeding $50,000 every single month.
A common misconception among the public is that established wildlife rescue operations in Costa Rica receive substantial state subsidies or government funding. In reality, organizations like the Toucan Rescue Ranch operate entirely independently of government financial support. They rely exclusively on the generosity of private donors, philanthropic foundations, and community-driven fundraising campaigns like Share to Save to keep their doors open.
How the Public Participates: Voting and Impact
The Share to Save initiative employs an engaging, participatory model that directly ties public involvement to financial support for animal care. Supporters across the globe are invited to help determine the contest winners while simultaneously funding daily rescue operations through a direct voting mechanism, structured at a rate of a $1 USD donation equaling one vote. Participants are permitted to cast votes for as many individual art pieces as they wish. Furthermore, to encourage broad philanthropic engagement, all financial contributions made during the Share to Save Art and Photography Contest are fully tax-deductible.
The funds generated through these contributions are allocated immediately to offset core operational expenditures. This direct financial pipeline ensures that veterinarians can acquire essential pharmaceuticals, infant animals receive specialized formula, and engineering teams can maintain and expand crucial rewilding enclosures.
A Global Mosaic: Featured Participant Works
The 2026 gallery showcases a diverse, breathtaking array of talent, featuring interpretations of nature ranging from hyper-realistic photography to abstract expressionism and detailed sculptures. Among the standout entries is "Coexist" by Cibele Manfredini, accompanied by the poignant artist statement that "the more we know, the more we love." Similarly, underwater cinematographer Francesca Larrain contributes "Manta," emphasizing the critical need for marine conservation.
Terrestrial wildlife is equally well-represented. Photographer Felix Hinsch captures a rare, intimate moment in "Unexpected Visitor," documenting a healthy wild sloth pausing near a human residence during early morning hours. Sculptor Mike Toppe presents a meticulously hand-sculpted and painted Golden Lion Marmoset, bringing tactile awareness to primate conservation. Meanwhile, literary-inspired visual works such as Gloriana Freer’s "Reaching my goal" highlight personal encounters with sloths in Costa Rica’s coastal ecosystems, serving as symbolic reminders of peaceful coexistence.
Avian and botanical wonders feature prominently in the exhibition as well. Darren James Sturrock’s "Highlands" celebrates the rich intersection of Costa Rican wildlife and endemic orchid species under the banner of "Pura Vida." Carla Elissa Daaboul presents "Jewels in the shadows," focusing on the elusive beauty of local hummingbirds, while Adrian Lopez Espinoza offers "Levitacion," a testament to deep admiration and respect for native fauna. Lizz R contributes "Bee on Flower," drawing attention to the precarious status of endangered bumblebees and advocating for individual rescue actions.
The collection also embraces international and regional perspectives on biodiversity. Fernanda M’s "Resplandeciendo bajo la lluvia" marries fauna documentation with photographic technique, while Tom Halligan’s "Breathe" captures a fleeting, grounding encounter with spotted dolphins racing a tour boat off the coast of Guanacaste. Fer Morales explores the macro-cosm of coastal ecosystems in "Pequeñas maravillas," stressing the equal importance of preserving both majestic marine mammals and minute crustaceans.
Artistic mediums span across digital illustration, oil painting, and mixed media. "Flight to Fish" by Artworks by CR explores the intersection of art and scientific documentation to spark wonder in viewers. Dr. Ming Siew uses "The woodpecker" to champion the therapeutic power of forests, drawing from professional experience as both a physician and forest therapist. Miguel Pires presents "The howlers whisper" as a stark call for conservation, while Adriana Blanco Rojas highlights foundational pollinators in "Sin polinizadores no hay alimentos."
Airbrush techniques bring botanical and amphibian life together in Clare Goodman’s "Frog on Orchid," while Camila Mata Núñez captures the serene harmony of Puerto Viejo’s lotus-filled gardens in "Flores de loto en Puerto Viejo." Ignacio Campos Retana showcases parental dedication in the avian world through "Donde nace la vida," focusing on the Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius). Luisa Vidales Reina utilizes repurposed packaging paper for her piece "Creatives for Conservation," embodying the ethos of sustainable art.
Additional highlights include Inés Ramos’s vibrant "Postcard from a curious toucan!", Kim’s urgent voice-for-the-voiceless piece "5vor12," and Isabelle Chico’s dramatic oil painting "Jaguar vs. caimán, duelo de titanes," which captures the apex predator’s role as an ecological umbrella species. Alyson Rodríguez documents scarlet macaws in "Entre Alas Escarlata," and researcher Freddy provides a fragile portrait of endemic amphibians in "Hanging on!", depicting a rare salamander clinging to survival amid ongoing habitat research.
Further contributions explore cultural symbols and natural cycles: Eilyn Salas’s "Sombrillitas," Silvia Fournier Herrera’s "Azul Eterno" featuring abandoned bird feathers, and Carvings and Canvas’s memorializing piece "Gone.. but not forgotten," which reflects on the extinction of the thylacine due to human negligence. Nils V Hammerbeck presents "Lunch Time" to reiterate that all species occupy an equally vital role in the planetary life cycle.
Re-wilding and rehabilitation narratives also take center stage through Michaela Schwenk’s "Becoming wild," which follows an orphaned sloth named Bonnie learning defensive behaviors necessary for reintroduction. Daniel Mora explores avian fascination in "Entre los árboles," Leonardo Hall presents "Kings Landing," and Katia Hougaard illustrates the lifesaving utility of artificial wildlife canopy bridges in "Protecting The Future of Sloths," showing mothers teaching their offspring how to safely traverse busy roadways.
Rounding out the exhibition are Lindsay Martland’s vibrant portrayal of a "Turkey Vulture," Carlo Atzei’s digitally illustrated "American Darter," Paola Hernandez Albiña’s oil painting "Gorrión" celebrating the quiet resilience of everyday birds, Catherine Laras’s "Vigilantes del suelo," Andrea Quirós’s "Bolita de frío y fuego, colibrí garganta de fuego," and Cristina Rosas’s hopeful firefly piece "La luz en la oscuridad." Motion and rescue narratives are equally honored through Jacob Hillsdon’s multimedia work featuring howler monkeys, Ola Siewruk’s "Save the Frogs," José Guillermo Ramírez Bogantes’s "Algo que contar," Teresa Clark’s "Little Ponyo"—inspired by a real-life infant howler monkey patient at the ranch—and Vicky’s affectionate sloth portrait "Sloth."
Broader Impact and Implications
The transition of this long-standing campaign into Share to Save marks a sophisticated evolution in non-profit fundraising. By fusing international artistic expression with the immediate, boots-on-the-ground operational needs of Costa Rican wildlife sanctuaries, the initiative addresses a systemic funding gap left by the absence of state subsidies.
As environmental pressures, habitat fragmentation, and wildlife displacement continue to challenge biodiversity hotspots across Central America, community-backed projects like Share to Save offer a resilient financial model. They not only sustain critical veterinary clinics and rehabilitation enclosures, but also cultivate a global constituency of informed advocates. Through the universal languages of art and photography, Share to Save ensures that the voices of the voiceless—and the dedicated professionals who fight for them—continue to resonate worldwide, securing a safer future for wildlife one shared image at a time.
