The Federal Junior Duck Stamp is an American art competition sponsored by the United States government for students to draw, or paint a duck realistically. The national winner's design is used to create a (non-postal) stamp which is sold to raise funds for environmental education.
Background The program began in 1989 with a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and was first recognized by the United States Congress in 1994 when the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act was enacted.
Entries in the contest may be paintings or drawings. The program is designed to be "a dynamic arts curriculum that teaches wetlands and waterfowl conservation to students from kindergarten through high school". The best of show winner from each state participates in a national tour of entries and is forwarded to the national competition.
There is also a Conservation Message contest, where contestants are encouraged to write their own conservation messages about wildlife.
Each year, Junior Duck Stamp State Coordinators in all 50 U.S. states, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands help to bring the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program to more than 28,000 students. To honor the most dedicated coordinators, the Junior Duck Stamp Program developed the Green Ribbon Award for State Coordinator of the Year. We are pleased to recognize the 2011 State Coordinator of the Year, Marilyn Gamette of California. Gamette has been committed to the JDS program since its inception in 1989, working to expand the program in California and helping to break state and national records with 3,126 pieces of art submitted in 2011. Throughout her career and into her retirement from the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Gamette has inspired children and adults with her dedication and educational efforts.
There was controversy in 2013 when the competition's youngest ever national winner, a six-year-old girl, was stripped of her win because of accusations of plagiarism. A few days later she was reinstated as the winner, after the US Fish & Wildlife Service decided the competition had been fair, despite the child using a tracing technique. Her design was used for the $5 stamp and she received a $5,000 scholarship.
Winners +YearArtistSpeciesStateAge1993-1994Jason ParsonsRedheadIllinois161994-1995Clark WeaverHooded merganserPennsylvania171995-1996Jie HuangNorthern pintailMontana161996-1997Clark WeaverCanvasbackPennsylvania181997-1998Scott RussellCanada gooseCalifornia171998-1999Erik PetersonAmerican black duckMichigan181999-2000Ryan KirbyWood duckIllinois162000-2001Bonnie LathamNorthern pintailMinnesota162001-2002Aremy McCannTrumpeter swanMinnesota182002-2003Nathan ClossonMallardMontana162003-2004Nathan BaumanGreen-winged tealPennsylvania172004-2005Adam NisbettFulvous whistling-duckMissouri172005-2006Kerissa NelsonRing-necked duckWisconsin162006-2007Rebekah Nastav,RedheadMissouri152007-2008Paul WilleyAmerican wigeonArkansas162008-2009Seokkyun HongNeneTexas182009-2010Lily SpangWood duckOhio162010-2011Rui HuangHooded merganserOhio182011-2012Abraham HunterRing-necked duckIllinois172012-2013Christine ClaytonNorthern pintailOhio172013-2014Madison GrimmCanvasbackSouth Dakota62014-2015Si youn KimKing eiderNew Jersey162015-2016Andrew KneelandWood duckWyoming172016-2017Stacy ShenRoos's gooseCalifornia162017-2018Isaac SchreiberTrumpeter swanVirginia122018-2019Rayen KangEmperor gooseGeorgia172019-2020Nicole JeonHarlequin duckNew York162020-2021Madison GrimmWood duckSouth Dakota132021-2022Margaret McMullenHooded merganserKansas182022-2023Madison GrimmGreen-winged tealSouth Dakota152023-2024Mila Linyue Tong,Hooded merganserVirginia152024-2025Emily LianKing eiderOregon172025-2026Catheryn LiangNorthern shovelerTexas182026-2027Nina LiangBlue-winged tealTexas17
References
External links Official website