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Washington Junior Duck stamp contest deadline Feb. 15

The deadline for entries into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Junior Duck Stamp art contest in Washington State is fast approaching.

The deadline for entries into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Junior Duck Stamp art contest in Washington State is fast approaching.

 All entries must be postmarked or in hand at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, by Feb. 15. Entries may be addressed to:

Junior Duck Stamp Contest

Ridgefield Refuge Complex

28908 NW Main Ave.

P.O. Box 457

Ridgefield, Wash., 98642

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a dynamic art- and science-based curriculum that encourages students to explore their natural world, invites them to investigate biology and wildlife management principles and challenges them to express and share what they have learned with others, according to a news release from the Wildlife Service.

Each year, students in kindergarten through grade 12 compete in this free wildlife art contest. The object of the contest is for students to show what they have learned about waterfowl and wetland conservation by drawing or painting a native North American duck, goose or swan.

Approximately 20,000 students entered state art contests in 2019.

The winner of the state contest then moves on to the national contest. Last year’s “Best of Show” winner for Washington was awarded to a 13-year-old resident of the greater Portland-Vancouver metro area who depicted a king eider on the water.

Other awards for the “Best of Show” winner included a visit to the Ridgefield NWR for an awards ceremony, a new pair of binoculars, art supplies,and books about nature journaling.

The winning artwork from a national art contest serves as the design for the Junior Duck Stamp, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service produces annually.

This $5 stamp has become a much sought-after collector’s item.

 All of the revenue from the sale of Junior Duck stamps goes to support recognition and environmental education activities for students who participate in the program.

For more information about the Washington contest,  contact Mesha Wood, state coordinator, at mesha_wood@fws.gov.