Duck stamps
What does an art competition have to do with wetland conservation?
One of my favourite periods of the year is the Federal Duck Stamp competition season. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this niche (and albeit very American) phenomenon, the duck stamp competition is an annual art judging event hosted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the only art competition sponsored by the US government. It not only celebrates the five wildfowl species that are eligible for painting each year, but ultimately promotes and funds wildfowl conservation. For all the WWT buffs out there, you may notice the thematic similarities between the origins of WWT by the illustrious Sir Peter Scott and this unique competition.
First, a quick WWT history refresher! In 1946, Sir Peter Scott founded WWT and opened a reserve in Slimbridge to protect the habitat of declining waterfowl. As a painter, he captured beautiful scenes of ducks and swans in flight over UK wetlands. The ability to convey the magic of the natural world in high level of detail appealed to people everywhere. Several of his paintings became so popular that they were reproduced as prints hundreds of thousands of times. His presence as a painter and nature conservationist is largely responsible for the formation of other international organisations like the Society of Wildlife Artists and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Sir Peter Scott's employment of art as part of his conservation efforts has been extremely effective and dare I say transformative for the wetlands and wildfowl across the UK.
Now onto the Duck Stamps.
Similar to the UK, the US was bearing witness to a concerning decline in the wildfowl population and wetland habitat post-great depression. As a means to generate income, President Franklin D Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act into law. This law requires all wildfowl hunters above 16 years old to purchase a Duck Stamp (and carry it on your persons) to legally hunt wildfowl. Now this might seem somewhat reductive to allow continued hunting of a shrinking population but it has actually been hugely successful. Since its origins, the Federal Duck Stamp has generated over 800 million dollars used to protect 5.7 million acres of habitat. 15 years after its initiation, the Fish and Wildlife Service opened their figurative doors to any artists or individuals who wished their art to potentially feature on the Duck Stamps. The selection process is highly competitive with paintings going through several rounds of harsh judging before declaring a winner for the year. This unique competition now has a cult-like following, with people tuning in across the nation and worldwide (myself included) to watch the live judging every autumn. Artists like Kira Sabin share their painting processes on social media, adding to the hype and momentum behind the following. Today, hunters are still required to purchase duck stamps (around $30 from what I can tell), wildlife art collectors flock to grab their next piece, and Fish and Wildlife Service is even able to collect royalties, generating further income for conservation.
Between Sir Peter Scott's legacy and the ongoing tradition of the Federal Duck Stamp, wildlife art has firmly cemented its role in wetland conservation. Will you be inspired to create something?
Words by Jess Byers
Feature image of gadwall (one of the eligable species of the 2025 Duck Stamp competition) by Alex Hillier
