Connecticut Junior Conservation (Duck) Stamp Art Contest

2024 Connecticut Junior Conservation Stamp Art Competition Welcomes Entries through March 15, 2024

Inspiring Youth Conservation Awareness through the Arts

Calling all creative young artists and art educators in Connecticut. Entries are now being accepted for the 2024 Connecticut Junior Migratory Bird Conservation (Duck) Stamp Art Competition, part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) environmental education program administered since 1987 by the Connecticut Waterfowl Association (CWA).

As part of a concerted effort to encourage more young people to explore the natural world and increase conservation awareness, the Connecticut Junior Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp “Best in Show” winner will be featured as the 2025 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp! The "Best in Show" winner will also be an entry for the Federal Junior Stamp Contest.

This contest is open to all students, kindergarten through grade 12, who are Connecticut residents. To enter, students create and submit a drawing or painting featuring native waterfowl (ducks or geese) -- List of Eligible Species. There is no cost, and submissions are due by March 15, 2024.

Submitted artwork will be judged in four groups according to grade level, encouraging artists of all ages and ability levels to be inspired and join in the contest’s creative fun and learning. First, second- and third-place entries will be selected from each group, and prizes will be awarded.  A “Best of Show” is selected by the judges from the 12 first-place winners. The “Best of Show”, in addition to being featured on the Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp, is then entered into the National Junior Duck Stamp Contest, which is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The first place design from the nationwide contest is used to create a national Junior Duck Stamp for the following year. Junior Duck Stamps are sold by the U.S. Postal Service for $5 each. Proceeds support conservation education and provide awards and scholarships for the students, teachers, and schools that participate in the program.

Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamps can be purchased for $17 wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold or from the Online Outdoor Licensing System under the "Other" category. All proceeds from the sale of stamps fund wetland habitat conservation and enhancement projects.

All work must be postmarked by March 15, 2024, and have a completed entry form. For students in grades 7-12, a reference sheet must also be included to verify the authenticity of the student's work. Forms are listed below.

• Junior Duck Stamp Brochure
• Details about the Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition
• 2023-2024 Junior Duck Stamp Entry Form (English/Spanish) (must be included with art submission)
• 2023-2024 Junior Duck Stamp Reference Form (English/Spanish) (students in grades 7-12 must submit this form so that the students' ideas/reference can be verified that their work is not a complete reproduction of another piece)

Individual, as well as whole class submissions, can be sent to (they must be postmarked by March 15, 2024):

CT Junior Stamp Contest
c/o Chris Samor
29 Bowers Hill Road
Oxford, CT 06478

Questions can be directed to Chris at 203-888-0352 or csamor16@att.net or Tom Lewoc Jr. at lewoc09@gmail.com.

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program is a unique, multidisciplinary curriculum aligned with national science and visual arts education standards. Through art, it teaches students about wetland and waterfowl conservation, migration and land stewardship. It encourages youth to explore their natural world with a new perspective by inviting them to investigate biology and wildlife management and challenging them to express and share what they have learned with others. More information about the USFWS Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Program, including helpful youth and educator guides, is available on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.

The Connecticut Waterfowlers Association, a non-profit volunteer group created in 1967 dedicated to wetlands and waterfowl conservation, has administered this Program since its beginning in 1987. Its mission is to conserve wetlands and waterfowl in Connecticut, and only in Connecticut.

 

Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Winner for the 2023 Art Competition 

Congratulations are extended to Tolland resident, Sulan Zhang (age 16), whose beautifully illustrated painting of a long-tailed duck was selected as the "Best in Show" for the 2023 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition and also won first place in the 10th-12th grade age category of the competition. Sulan's painting will be featured on the 2024 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp. In addition to being featured on the 2024 Connecticut stamp, the "Best in Show" artwork will also be entered into the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest.

Sulan is a grade 11 student from Tolland who was working with the Lin Lin Art Studio out of Glastonbury. She began her journey through art with colored pencils in sixth grade and later switched to acrylic paint. Aside from working on personal pieces, Sulan enjoys teaching painting classes at the Tolland elementary schools. From sunsets to pumpkins to ocean waves, she has helped younger kids realize the beauty in creativity and art. Sulan hopes she can inspire an even greater appreciation for painting through her work. Having grown increasingly focused over the years on moving closer to and preserving nature, she feels strongly about the conservation aspect of the Duck Stamp competition and the mission of the Connecticut Waterfowl Association and DEEP to preserve and protect habitat for Connecticut's wildlife.

The annual Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition is coordinated and sponsored by the Connecticut Waterfowl Association, in cooperation with the CT DEEP Wildlife Division. The Judges reviewed 127 amazing entries submitted by students in grades K-12 from a number of public/private/magnet school classrooms, private art studios, as well as individual family entries. The participants in every age group put forth a great amount of time and effort to produce some incredible artwork (and conservation messages). Each entry must include a note about how the entrant feels about the species they are depicting and the conservation of nature. Entries were divided into four age groups spanning from kindergarten through high school. Winners in each age group were then judged against each other to determine the overall state winner. The contest is open to all students, kindergarten through grade 12, who are Connecticut residents. To enter, students create and submit a drawing or painting featuring native waterfowl (ducks or geese). There is no cost to participate.

From 2012 to 2020, DEEP held a nationwide artistic contest to select the images for the Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp. However, starting with the 2021 Stamp, the artwork from the winner of the Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest is now featured. This change was made to display artwork from Connecticut artists on the annual stamps, while at the same time encouraging conservation awareness in young people through the Junior Duck Stamp Program. Every student who participates in the Junior Duck Stamp Competition is provided with a limited curriculum on wetland conservation, waterfowl, and nature in general. The program 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.

Other Winning Artwork from the 2023 CT Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest

Ko Parlegreco, age 16, took second place in the 10-12 grade age group with an illustration of king eiders.

Benjamin Bognon, grade 10, took third place in the 10-12 grade age group with a painting of harlequin ducks.

Justin Hyun, grade 7, took first place in the 7th-9th grade age group with a painting of a wood duck.

Meredith Berkun, grade 7, took second place in the 7th-9th grade age group with a painting of a mallard.

Samuel Milo, grade 9, took third place in the 7th-9th grade age group with a painting of a wood duck.

Nathaniel Milo, grade 5, took first place in the 4th-6th grade age group with a painting of a mallard.

Ayla Jolly-Ballatine, age 11, took second place in the 4th-6th grade age group with a painting of a merganser.

Estelle Filardi, age 11, took third place in the 4th-6th grade age group with a painting of wood ducks.

Avni Kamath, kindergarten, took first place in the K-3rd grade age group with a painting of a mallard.

Andi LoPresti, grade 2, took second place in the K-3rd grade age group with a painting of a merganser.

Karen Sumida, grade 2, took third place in the K-3rd grade age group with a painting of an eider.

Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamps can be purchased for $17 wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold or from the Online Outdoor Licensing System under the "Other" category. Starting August 1, 2023, stamps can also be purchased through the online DEEP Store. All proceeds from the sale of stamps fund wetland habitat conservation and enhancement projects.

 

How to purchase a CT Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp and/or Print

CT Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp Dollars Deliver Results

Back to main CT Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp webpage

Content last updated in December 2023.