Students invited to design stamps featuring ducks, geese, swans

MAINE — The 23 annual statewide competition for the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest is underway. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites students in grades K-12 to create designs featuring ducks, swans or geese in their natural habitats.

Designs are judged in four age categories, with awards for first, second and third places and honorable mentions. Entries must be received by March 15. This year the judging will take place at the L.L. Bean Flagship Store in Freeport.

The Maine Best of Show entry will compete with contest winners from other states in a national competition in Washington D.C. The first-place national winning design is used to create the Federal Junior Duck Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of Junior Duck Stamps (which cost $5 each) support conservation education by providing awards and scholarships for students, teachers and schools.

Modeled after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s annual Federal Duck Stamp competition, the Junior Duck Stamp contest is part of an educational curriculum that teaches students about waterfowl, the importance of wetlands and habitat conservation. Proceeds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps protect wetlands through land acquisition by the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Contest rules and entry forms are currently available for download at www.fws.gov/juniorduck/. For more information on the contest, call the Gulf of Maine Coastal Program at 207-781-8364.

Businesses or organizations who would like to sponsor this program are encouraged to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.