2019 Georgia Junior Duck Stamp student art competition winners

April 8, 2019

“A March on the Water,” an acrylic painting of a green winged teal by Win Sheng, aged 12, from First Fine Art and Design Studio in Johns Creek, won the 2019 Georgia Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition. The contest was held last week at the Southeast Regional U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office in Atlanta.

“I painted the green winged teal because of all the colors and its personality,” said Win Sheng. He has been painting for only two and a half years.

Win Sheng will receive a $175 scholarship from Georgia Power, a long-time sponsor of the Georgia Junior Duck Stamp Program, as well as a certificate and ribbon. As Georgia’s Best of Show, Sheng’s original artwork will be sent to compete in the National Junior Duck Stamp Contest on Friday, April 19, at the Visitors Center of Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland.

A panel of distinguished judges, selected for their expertise in artistic design, wildlife art, and waterfowl biology, decided the Best of Show among the winners of this year’s contest. They were Greg Balkcom, wildlife biologist, Georgia Department of Natural Resources; Ben Dickerson, Georgia Power; David Patterson, former Georgia Junior Duck First Place and Second Place winning artist, Dean Demarest, deputy chief of Migratory Birds in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Region; and Darwin Huggins retired assistant special agent-in charge for the Office of Law Enforcement in the Service’s Southeast Region.

A total of 100 winners were selected. They included up to 25 winners in each of four different age groups: Kindergarten to third grade, fourth to sixth grade, seventh to ninth grade and 10th to 12th grade. There were three first place, three second place, three third place and up to 16 honorable mention winners were chosen in each of the four categories. The Best of Show was selected from among all of the first place winners.

This year, 581 Junior Duck Stamp entries of 52 different species were submitted statewide from 13 different public and private schools, home schools, and art studios.

Download the complete list of 2019 Georgia Junior Duck Stamp Contest winners.

Prizes and ribbons also were given for the best student conservation message that expresses the spirit of what they learned while researching and planning for their Duck Stamp Contest artwork entry. This year’s winning conservation message was submitted by 16-year-old Aastha Jaiswal of Griffin Christian Schools: “Conserve the Earth, Ensure Our Future.”

Junior Duck Stamps are sold by the U.S. Postal Service and Amplex Corporation consignees for $5 per stamp. Proceeds from the sale of Junior Duck Stamps support conservation education, and provide awards and scholarships for students, teachers, and schools that participate in the program. Donations to the Junior Duck Stamp Program can also be made through purchases on Amazon.com.

The Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest is open to all youth in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grade. All participants receive a certificate of appreciation. Learn more about the Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest including a new curriculum and study guide for students, teachers and parents.

For further information about the Junior Duck Stamp contest or the Fish and Wildlife Service, please contact Georgia Coordinator Carmen Simonton in the Division of Migratory Birds, (404) 679-7049 or by e-mail at Carmen_Simonton@fws.gov.

Contacts

• Elsie Davis, (404) 679-7107, Elsie_Davis@fws.gov
• Carmen Simonton, (404) 679-7049, Carmen_Simonton@fws.gov

• Georgia
• Green Winged Teal
• Junior Duck Stamp

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who can make it happen, visit fws.gov. Connect with the Service on Facebook, follow our tweets, watch the YouTube Channel and download photos from Flickr.