(Atlanta, GA) - A 17-year-old artist from Lawrenceville, Georgia, Soo Kim, is the winner of the 2008 statewide Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest held April 3, 2008, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia. Five judges unanimously selected Kim's prisma colored pencil rendition of a hooded merganser duck out of the 591 artwork entries as the Georgia Best of Show.
Kim will receive a $250 scholarship from Georgia Power, $100 scholarship from Bass Pro Shops, and $50 worth of art supplies and waterfowl field guides. Kim's artwork is being sent to compete in the national Junior Duck Stamp competition to be held April 17 at the San Diego Zoo in California.
This year, Junior Duck Stamp entries were submitted from 47 public and private schools, home schools, art studios, and after-school programs throughout the state. Kim's winning entry was submitted through Catherine Vatalaro of Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia.
A panel of distinguished judges selected for their expertise in artistic design, conservation leadership and waterfowl biology determined the twenty-five winners of the 2008 Contest in the following categories: Group 1: Kindergarten to Third Grade; Group 2: Fourth to Sixth Grade; Group 3: Seventh to Ninth Grade; Group 4: Tenth to Twelfth Grade. The state's Best of Show by Soo Kim was chosen from among the First Place Winners.
The 2008 judges featured: Sam Hamilton, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Greg Balkcomb, State Waterfowl Biologist, Georgia Department of Natural Resources; Erin Bailey, Supervisor Chastain Arts Center and Gallery; Jim Candler, biologist and Environmental Affairs Supervisor of Georgia Power, long-time sponsors of the state Junior Duck Stamp program; and Charles Seabrook, award-winning "Wild Georgia? columnist, Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Prizes and ribbons are also being given for the best student conservation message that expresses the spirit of what was learned while researching and planning a Junior Duck Stamp Contest artwork entry. This years? conservation message winner is 14-year-old Lydia Barnes from Savannah Country Day Middle School in Savannah, Georgia, who submitted: "Conservation starts in your backyard and expands worldwide.?
For a complete list of contest winners or to learn more about the Junior Duck Stamp Contest, please visit http://www.fws.gov/southeast/birds/jrduck_stamp.htm or contact Resee Collins in the Division of Migratory Birds, (404) 679-7051 or E-Mail: Resee_Collins@fws.gov
Digital images of the 2008 winning artwork will be posted on the website in May.
The Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest is open to all youth in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Each participating young artist must research and depict on paper a duck, goose or other waterfowl species native to North America. All participants receive a certificate of appreciation. The purpose of the contest, authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1994, is to promote conservation of wetlands and waterfowl habitat through arts education.
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.
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.
