Calling All Student Artists
It’s time once again for Tennessee students and teachers to begin working on submissions for the 2008 Junior Duck Stamp competition. This contest is open to students from kindergarten to grade 12. Entries are accepted through school (public or private), homeschool, or on your own.
Tennessee has been involved in the project since 1995. Florida piloted the first local contest in 1989. Soon, other states were following the example. The program grew rapidly, and now all states and the District of Columbia participate.
The first time a sheet of Federal Junior Duck stamps was printed was in 1992, and it included nine state “Best of Show” winners from 1991 and 1992. After that, a national competition was instituted, with the top winning art printed as a stamp and sold to raise funds for conservation education.
In Tennessee, the program began with the help of partners such as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (then called the Tennessee Conservation League) and generous help from individuals such as Mrs. Jeanette Rudy.
The program has now blossomed to attracting the top student waterfowl artists and provides a prestigious awards ceremony for the top 100 winning students at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
The TWRA will take the “Tennessee Best of Show” winning artwork and produce a state waterfowl stamp sold for conservation education. The winner of the Best of Show receives a $500 award.
All entries for the Tennessee art competition are due on March 15 each year. Please keep in mind two key rules. First, the species of waterfowl you draw must be a native North American duck, goose, or swan. Second, all entries must be drawn horizontally and be nine inches high by 12 inches wide.
Soon after the annual entry deadline, the artwork is judged by a panel of experts. The judges change each year, but the panel typically includes a combination of waterfowl biologists, artists, and natural resource professionals. The art is separated into four grade groups (K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12), and each group is judged independently. Once the first place winners for each group have been selected, they are viewed again to select a single Best of Show for the state.