The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the winning artwork for the 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamp. Joshua Spies, an artist from Watertown, South Dakota, won the contest with his acrylic painting of a long-tailed duck. Service Director H. Dale Hall announced the winner around 11:45 a.m. at the Bloomington Art Center in Bloomington, Minn, where the two-day contest was held. There were 270 entries in this years contest and only five entries made it through to the final round of judging on Saturday. Jim Hautman, native of Plymouth, Minn., placed second with his acrylic painting of Canada geese, and Gerald Mobley of Claremore, Okla., took third place with an acrylic painting of northern shovelers.
"I purposefully didnt dress up today because I didnt want to jinx myself," said Spies, who has previously entered the Duck Stamp Contest. Thirty pieces of artwork made it through the first round of judging on Friday. The judges hand-selected another 13 pieces of artwork that did not get enough votes in the first round to be entered into the second round of judging for a total of 43 entries made it through. "The Duck Stamp is a significant funding mechanism for the Service to acquire land for the National Wildlife Refuge System. These lands provide critical habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. The lands are also open to the American public, and provide hunting, fishing, and environmental education opportunities. The contest to select the artwork involves the arts community, birders, nature enthusiasts, hunters, and stamp collectors," said Jim Leach, a refuge supervisor for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and chairperson for the Federal Duck Stamp planning committee. This years five-judge panel included Richard Slaughter, former owner of the Washington Capitals sports team and publisher of the conservation magazine, Attraction; Steven Williams, former director of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Don Soderlund, Jr., Minnesotan waterfowl expert and artist; Donald Luce, author, scientific illustrator, and curator of exhibits at Bell Museum; and Wes Miller, vice president of the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society. The alternate judge was Jeff Hedtke, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. This is the first year the Federal Duck Stamp contest was held in Minnesota. Since 1934, the Federal Duck Stamp program has raised more than $750 million to purchase nearly six million acres of wildlife habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. 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. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov Note to editors: electronic files of the artwork can be downloaded from the links below. First Place: http://www.outdoorsweekly.com/assets/FederalDuckStampExport08/pages/ds08-033_jpg.htm Second Place: http://www.outdoorsweekly.com/assets/FederalDuckStampExport08/pages/ds08-112_jpg.htmThird Place: http://www.outdoorsweekly.com/assets/FederalDuckStampExport08/pages/ds08-165_jpg.htm
