Calling all young artists! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now accepting entries for the 2014 Michigan Junior Duck Stamp Contest, administered by the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw.
2013 junior duck stamp winnerThe contest is held to raise education and awareness of North America’s waterfowl and wetland resources. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has hosted a Junior Duck Stamp contest in Michigan since 1995. Hannah Hu from Ann Arbor won the Michigan contest in 2013 with a drawing of an American wigeon.
Students may submit artwork featuring one of the following species: whistling ducks, swans, geese, brant, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, sea ducks, mergansers, stiff tails or Hawaiian ducks. A full list of permitted species is available online.
Judging will be open to the general public at Green Point Environmental Learning Center in Saginaw in the spring. Artwork entries will be judged on the basis of original design, anatomical accuracy, artistic composition and suitability for reproduction on a 1-inch by 1.5-inch stamp.
Students will be judged in four groups according to grade level: K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. Three first-place, three second-place and three third-place entries, along with 16 honorable mentions, will be selected from each group. Contest judges select a “Best of Show” from the 12 first-place winners, which will be submitted to the Federal Duck Stamp Office and entered into the national Junior Duck Stamp contest, held in April in West Virginia.
The winner of the national Junior Duck Stamp contest, along with his/her parent or guardian and teacher, will receive a free trip to a First Day of Sale ceremony in late June/early July.
The first-place art from the national contest is used to create a national Junior Duck Stamp each year. The Junior Duck Stamp is available for $5 from the U.S. Postal Service and from many National Wildlife Refuges. Proceeds from the sale of the stamps support conservation education and provide awards and scholarships for participating students, teachers and schools.
Entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2014. A downloadable entry form and information on contest rules, a list of permitted species and regulations for teachers and supervising adults can be found online at www.fws.gov/juniorduck.
For additional information or questions regarding participation in the contest, please contact Junior Duck Stamp state coordinator Lionel Grant at 989-759-1669 or Lionel_Grant@fws.gov.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a partner in the Michigan Waterfowl Legacy (MWL), a 10-year, cooperative partnership to restore, conserve and celebrate Michigan’s waterfowl, wetlands and waterfowl hunting community. The initiative is a “call to action” to honor yesterday, engage today and build for tomorrow.
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