Creating Original Artwork
The Junior Duck Stamp Program and Artistic Integrity
As students participating in the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Contest, you will create your
vision of the colorful, winged waterfowl that grace wetlands across North America. To do this, you'll study
these beautiful creatures, reviewing pictures, images or video. Perhaps you'll even have the opportunity
to observe wildlife in their natural habitat at a national wildlife refuge, a park in your community or your
own backyard.
Artistic integrity--the idea that each student artist is creating his or her own depiction of waterfowl and
submitting that original creation as a Junior Duck Stamp Contest entry--is an important aspect of this
contest. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages all students who participate in the Junior Duck
Stamp Conservation and Design Contest to complete the reference form. For students in grade groups III
and IV, please submit the reference form along with your entry. Do not attach the reference worksheet to
your artwork, but include it in the envelope with your entry - or give it to your teacher to send along with
your artwork. Students in grade groups I and II are encourages to work with their teacher or parent to
complete the reference form, but are not required to submit it with their entry.
This artistic reference worksheet will encourage you, the young artist, to delve into your own sense of
creativity while producing your original wildlife artwork. When filling in your reference sheet:
- Include as much information as possible (see example below);
- reference all major sources; and
- for students in grade groups III and IV, you must include this reference sheet with your entry.
Reference Examples
A Painting of photograph not found in a book
Artist Last Name, First Name. Title of the Artwork. Location Displayed.
Cable, Lee. Mallards on Backbay. Fredlund Gallery, Winter Park, FL
Book/Magazines
Artist Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book/Magazine Italicized. Page(s).
Mueller, Keith. Waterfowl Concepts. Pg. 6, 32, 54, 112.
Internet Images
Artist or Photographer Last Name, First Name. Website Address.
Sevcik, Jan. www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/sevcik/mallard--anas-platyrhyncos-5.jpg
Personal Photographs and Images
Lane Name, First Name. Species Medium Location, Date.
Herman, Amber. Mallards Photographed, Mississippi River, Davenport, Iowa. May 2009.
Other
Provide as much identifying information as possible.