2008 duck stamp entries sought

The 2008 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest information is now available. The contest is open to all students attending public, private or home schools from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Entries must be original, hand-created artwork depicting live North American ducks, geese or swans.

Guidelines and entry forms for the contest can be obtained by calling Donna Withers, Nevada Junior Duck Stamp Coordinator at the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge Office in Fallon at 775-423-5128 ext. 231, or visiting the Junior Duck Stamp Web site at www.fws.gov/juniorduck. The deadline for entry submission is March 15, 2008.

Patterned after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's highly successful Federal Duck Stamp Program for adult artists, the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Program is designed to increase awareness among our nation's youth of the need to conserve North America's wetlands and waterfowl through an educational curriculum incorporating art and wildlife management principles.

The entries are first judged at the state level. A panel of Nevada judges select three first, three second and three third place and 16 honorable mention winners from each of four age groups; kindergarten-third grade, fourth-sixth grade, seventh-ninth grade and 10th-12th grade. The Nevada best-of-show entry is selected from the first place entries and will be submitted to the National Federal Duck Stamp Contest. The first place design at the National contest will be used to create the 2008 Junior Duck Stamp and the artist will receive a $5,000 cash award, as well as a free trip to Washington, D.C., along with his or her art teacher and one parent, to attend the First Day of Sales Ceremony for the Federal Duck Stamp Contest.

The second place National winner will receive a $3,000 cash award and the third place National winner a $2,000 cash award. The conservation messages included on the entry forms of the state best-of-show entries will also be judged at the national level, with $500 awarded to the first place message, $300 to the second place message and $200 to the third place message.

For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit www.fws.gov.