The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced the theme “Celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage” for the 2018 Federal Duck Stamp Contest, requiring one or more visual elements that reflect the contributions waterfowl hunters make to habitat conservation be included on the stamp. Though the theme will shape all entries in the contest, participants must include as the dominant feature of artwork one or more of five eligible duck species: wood duck, American wigeon, northern pintail, green-winged teal and lesser scaup. Winning artwork will appear on the 2019-20 Federal Duck Stamp.
According to the USFWS, the theme is part of a broader initiative under orders signed by President Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to “support and expand hunting and fishing, enhance conservation stewardship, improve wildlife management and increase outdoor opportunities for all Americans.”
“Hunters have always been a crucial piece in conserving America’s natural resources, with the Duck Stamp being one of the greatest examples,” said Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. “It’s incredibly appropriate that this year’s contest theme would be ‘Celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage.’ I learned the greatest life lessons a boy could learn with a shotgun in hand from the inside of a duck blind. That tradition, through programs like the Duck Stamp, will be passed on so that future generations can add to that conservation legacy.”
Since the program’s inception in 1934, sales of the Federal Duck Stamp have generated more than $1 billion for the preservation of more than 6 million acres of waterfowl habitat in the United States. By purchasing a Duck Stamp each year, hunters continue to fund one of the most successful conservation programs ever created.
For more information or to view the full 2018 Federal Duck Stamp Contest regulations, click here.
