Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program – Another Beautiful Year

Why do duck stamps make such a good holiday gift?  Click here to find out.

Congratulations to all students who entered the 2013 New Jersey Junior Duck Stamp Competition. All of our entries were beautiful interpretations of water fowl that the students studied and learned how to draw. 208 entries were received this year. Our Best of Show came from June Lee, a very talented young lady fromTenafly, New Jersey. June’s painting is of a Red Breasted Merganser, done in watercolor and acrylic. We forward our best of show directly on to the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Competition, which will be held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W. Va. April 19 .  June will compete against 50 other states and US territories to become the 2013-2014 Junior Duck Stamp.  New Jersey’s top 36 winning artists are as follows:

Age Group I – Grade K to 3
First Place: Elizabeth & Michelle Ahn, Benjamin Brown, Stephen Brown
Second Place: Grace Gehman, Shane Klemick, Hannah Morowitz
Third Place: Samantha Andress, Haley Oh, Jeffrey Warf

Age Group II – Grade 4 to 6
First Place: Hannah Chen, Sohee Kim, Brandon Li
Second Place: Cassidy Hendee, Kristen Lee, Esther Kim
Third Place: Delandy Larkin, Morgan Murphy, Ryan Tenerelli

Age Group III – Grade 7 to 9
First Place Best of Show:  June Lee
First Place: Allison Gracie, Jane Lee
Second Place: Nicholas Lonetto, Julia Keem, Justin Park
Third Place: Ohyoon Kwon, Alanna Trainor, Seoyeon Park

Age Group IV – Grade 10 to 12
First Place: Cecile Kim, Boyeon Kim, Allen Yang
Second Place: Sue Ji Chai, Wonhyung Do, Leigh Shine
Third Place: Tiffany Fang, Minnie Park, Paul Won

The Wetlands Institute is the official State of New Jersey site for Junior Duck Stamp entries and judging.

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is an integrated art and science curriculum developed to teach environmental science and habitat conservation. Be sure to check the US Fish & Wildlife Service Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program web site each year, to get up to date artwork requirements, permitted species, and National awards information. Each year a downloadable entry form is available here, as well as the newly required Reference Form.

A Junior Duck Stamp design is a “term paper” in which students use visual rather than verbal articulation to show what they have learned. Participants select a species of North American waterfowl, do research on this species and its habitat, then depict the waterfowl in an artistic medium.

K-12 students attending public, private, or home schools in the United States are eligible to enter; so long as they are U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or nationals.

First Place National Winner receives a $5,000 cash award and a free trip to participate in the First day of Sale ceremony in Late June or Early July.

Entries are judged in 4 grade groups (K-3rd, 4th-6th, 7th-9th, and 10th -12th), with three first place, three second place, three third place, and sixteen honorable mention ribbons awarded. The state Best of Show is selected from the 12 first place winning designs and competes in the national competition in Washington, DC. All National and State winning designs are on display during the year and are returned to the students the following spring.

A free curriculum guide for teachers is available by contacting the Federal Duck Stamp Office, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Room 2058, Washington, DC 20240.