(Fwd) Duck Stamp Contest Kicks off November 4 With a "Quack"
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Wed, 28 Oct 1998 18:01:29 -0500
October 28, 1998 Rachel F. Levin
202-208-5631
rachel_levin@fws.gov
FEDERAL DUCK STAMP CONTEST KICKS OFF
NOVEMBER 4 WITH A "QUACK"
A quintet of marching mallards will once again officially open
the judging of the Nation's only Federally sponsored art
competition when the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest gets under
way November 4 in Washington, DC.
The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sponsors
the Duck Stamp Contest each year to select the new Migratory Bird
Hunting and Conservation Stamp, or Duck Stamp. The design chosen
from among the 337 entries in this year's contest will become the
1999-2000 Federal Duck Stamp, which goes on sale July 1, 1999.
The judging of this year's contest kicks off Wednesday, November
4, at 10:30 a.m. with the march of the Peabody Orlando Hotel
ducks, four hens and a drake that will circle the Interior
Department auditorium led by a uniformed "duckmaster." Then the
public will have a chance to view the acrylic, oil, and
watercolor entries while the panel of judges, including "The World of
Ducks Unlimited" host Jameson Parker, ranks them.
The winner of the Duck Stamp Contest will be announced Thursday,
November 5, at around 12:30 p.m. All contest events take place
in the Interior Department auditorium at 18th and C Streets, NW.,
in Washington, DC, and are free and open to the public.
"The Duck Stamp Art Contest is great fun," said Service Director
Jamie Rappaport Clark, "but it also focuses attention on one of
our Nation's most succesful conservation efforts, and one of the
easiest to participate in."
"This year, migratory bird conservation is one of the Service's
four major priorities," Clark noted. "I think that simply
purchasing this conservation stamp is one of the best and most
effective gestures of support for our wild creatures and wild
places anyone can make."
"I'm looking forward to seeing this year's entries and to once
again welcoming our friends from the Peabody Hotel, with whom we
have forged a most successful partnership to promote the Duck
Stamp as a conservation tool," she said.
Federal Duck Stamps, which cost $15, are a required purchase for
waterfowl hunters ages 16 and older. However, stamp collectors,
art lovers, and conservationists also purchase them to add to
their albums or enjoy as miniature works of art, or simply as a
way to contribute to waterfowl conservation. Ninety-eight
percent of the proceeds from Duck Stamp sales goes toward
purchasing wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge
System.
The Peabody Ducks: A Talented Bunch
Returning to Washington, DC, for an encore performance, the
Peabody Hotel marching ducks will open the contest once again
this year with a chorus of resounding "quacks" as they parade
through the Main Interior Building's auditorium to the sounds of
their own theme music.
The famous mallards appear at the Duck Stamp Contest thanks to a
unique partnership between the Service and the Peabody Hotel
Orlando, which incorporates the Federal Duck Stamp into its
efforts to raise awareness about waterfowl and deliver
conservation messages to guests and the community. Visitors to
the renowned Florida hotel can purchase a Duck Stamp after they
watch the mallards frolic in the lobby fountain.
The Peabody Orlando and its sister hotel, the Peabody Memphis,
are both world-famous for their fountain-dwelling, farm-raised
mallards and duck-themed decor. Beginning with a prank in the
1930s, when the manager of Peabody Memphis and his hunting
partner placed their live duck decoys in the fountain, the
hotels' waterfowl theme now extends to duck-shaped soaps, butter
pats, and stationery, as well as eateries named "Dux" and
"Quackers."
The Judges: A Diverse Panel of Wildlife Enthusiasts
The judges for this year's Duck Stamp contest engage in a variety
of wildlife-related pursuits such as outdoor writing,
environmental education, wildlife carving, and taxidermy. One of
this year's judges is Jameson Parker, host of The Nashville
Network's weekly series, "The World of Ducks Unlimited."
Parker, a collector of wildlife art and outdoor literature, is
also known for his roles in such television series as "Simon and
Simon," "One Life to Live," and "Somerset," as well as in other
television and film productions.
About the Contest
The winner of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest receives no cash
award from the Federal Government; however, the contest is highly
competitive because winning boosts the reputation of even a
previously unknown artist to the top of his or her profession.
And winning artists stand to make hundreds of thousands of
dollars from the sale of limited edition prints of their Duck
Stamp design.
Eligible species for this year's contest were the green-winged
teal, black duck, greater scaup, northern pintail, and ruddy
duck.
This year, the 337 design entries will be displayed for viewing
and judging at the Interior Department auditorium, 1849 C Street,
NW, Washington, DC, at the following times:
Tuesday, Nov. 3: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Viewing
Wednesday, Nov. 4: 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Viewing/Judging Thursday, Nov. 5: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Viewing/Judging*
*The winner will be announced at approximately 12:30 p.m.
In addition, Duck Stamp licensed products, including posters, T-
shirts, mugs, calendars, caps, and other items featuring Duck
Stamp designs will be available for sale in the Interior
Department lobby. Part of the proceeds from the sale of these
products also are used for wetlands acquisition.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish
and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre
National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500
national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other
special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish
hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency
enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered
Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores
nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife
habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with
their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid
program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in
excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife
agencies.
-FWS-
(fact sheet)
1998 FEDERAL DUCK STAMP CONTEST
STATISTICS
Total Number of Entries: 337
ARTISTS
Number Percent of Total
Male artists: 267 79.23%
Female artists: 70 20.77%
MEDIUM
Water color: 24 7.12%
Oil: 52 15.42%
Acrylic: 208 61.72%
Scratch board: 1 0.30%
Other: 52 15.43%
SPECIES
Black duck: 37 10.98%
Greater scaup: 24 7.12%
Green-winged teal: 87 25.82%
Pintail: 132 39.17%
Ruddy duck: 57 16.91%
(fact sheet)
1998 FEDERAL DUCK STAMP CONTEST
STATISTICS
Total Number of Entries: 337
ARTISTS BY STATE:
Number Percent Number
Percent
of Total
of Total
Alabama 9 2.67% Montana 8
2.37%
Alaska 2 0.59% Nebraska 3
0.89%
Arizona 5 1.48% Nevada 3
0.89%
Arkansas 3 0.89% New Hampshire 0
0.00%
California 20 5.93% New Jersey 9
2.67%
Colorado 10 2.97% New Mexico 3
0.89%
Connecticut 3 0.89% New York 18
5.34%
Delaware 3 0.89% North Carolina 6
1.78%
District of Columbia 2 0.59% North Dakota 1
0.30%
Florida 16 4.75% Ohio 15
4.45%
Georgia 8 2.37% Oklahoma 3
0.89%
Hawaii 0 0.00% Oregon 1
0.30%
Idaho 3 0.89% Pennsylvania 19
5.64%
Illinois 7 2.08% Rhode Island 1
0.30%
Indiana 2 0.59% South Carolina 4
1.19%
Iowa 7 2.08% South Dakota 6
1.78%
Kansas 2 0.59% Tennessee 3
0.89%
Kentucky 2 0.59% Texas 12
3.56%
Louisiana 6 1.78% Utah 8
2.37%
Maine 3 0.89% Vermont 0
0.00%
Maryland 11 3.26% Virginia 7
2.08%
Massachusetts 8 2.37% Washington 5
1.48%
Michigan 9 2.67% West Virginia 2
0.59%
Minnesota 40 11.87% Wisconsin 11
3.26%
Mississippi 3 0.89% Wyoming 0
0.00%
Missouri 5 1.48%
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===============
Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net