By Staff
Entries in N.C. 2007 Junior Duck Stamp contest being judged today
By MIKE VOSS, Contributing Editor
The N.C. 2007 Junior Duck Stamp competition gets under way today at the N.C. Estuarium.
Judging for the competition, a prelude to the 12-annual East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships, begins at 10 a.m. The competition’s winning entry will be unveiled during the festival, which runs Feb. 9-11.
Patty Matteson, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services employee and coordinator of the N.C. 2007 Junior Duck Stamp contest, isn’t sure of the exact number of entries.
Ocracoke School has a history of being one of the schools that submits many entries, Matteson said.
Five judges will determine the winning entries for each of the four age groups, including the best-in-show selection.
The East Carolina Wildfowl Guild is hosting the N.C. 2007 Junior Duck Stamp competition. The guild approached the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s field office in Raleigh about hosting the contest.
The winner of the state competition moves on to compete in the 2007 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest. Stephanie Gaetano won the 2006 N.C. Junior Duck Stamp contest. She was 17 when she won. Her entry was titled “Camouflaged.”
Rebekah Nastav, a Missouri resident, won the 2006 national contest. She was 15 when she won.
In an effort similar to the federal Duck Stamp Art Tour, the Junior Duck Stamp best-of-show pieces are displayed throughout the United States during May of the following year. The artwork is shown at wildlife and outdoor festivals and exhibitions, state fairs, art galleries, national wildlife refuges, government buildings and museums.
The Washington Tourism Development Authority will provide lunch to the competition’s judges and others involved with the competition, Gossett said.