Entry deadline is February 15, 2026
When you’re ready to get started, make sure you know all the steps involved in creating and submitting student artwork.
- This page, How to submit artwork to the Junior Duck Stamp contest, is offered by
- Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
How to submit artwork to the Junior Duck Stamp contest
Contacts
Susan Sacco, Junior Duck Stamp Coordinator
MassWildlife
The Details
What you need
Make sure you understand all the JDS rules by reading the following documents. Read all materials; there are new documents this year.
- Junior Duck Stamp Contest Information (fws.gov)
- Junior Duck Stamp Rules for 2024-2025 (fws.gov)
- Understanding the JDS guidelines to prevent disqualification
- A guide to approaching JDS artwork
- FREE Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Education Curriculum (fws.gov)
- Entry form: Junior Duck Stamp Contest Entry Form (fws.gov)
- Reference form: Junior Duck Stamp Reference Form (fws.gov)
- Help spread the word: JDS poster
Ready to participate in the contest? Here’s what you need to do:
- Review the annual brochure and print out the entry form (English/Spanish).
- Read the contest rules carefully and make sure you meet all eligibility requirements.
- Begin researching and preparing your entry.
- Fill in the entry form (English/Spanish) and the reference form (if required; English/Spanish) completely and affix the entry form to the back of your entry.
- Mail your entry (see address below) by the deadline.
- It's as simple as that!
How to submit
When you are ready to submit your artwork, remember:
- Complete the entry form
- Include on the entry form a brief personal conservation message that expresses the spirit of what you have learned
- Securely tape the completed entry form to the back of the artwork
- Include the reference form with your artwork
Note:
- If several pieces of artwork are being submitted from a class or studio, a typed list of students' names must accompany the artwork.
- Chalk and pastel entries must be sprayed with a fixative prior to submitting
Submit artwork to:
Junior Duck Program, MassWildlife
1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581
Submissions must be postmarked by midnight February 15, 2026.
More info
Plagiarism guidelines:
- DO NOT copy someone else’s photograph to create a work of art.
- DO NOT copy a picture that has been printed in any form, including in a book, magazine, etc.
- DO NOT copy a major part of a photograph (an animal, for instance) and place it in a different setting. This is a grey legal area, but it is considered unethical by most professional artists. If you have to look hard to find the difference between your work and the reference work, you have gone too far.
- IT'S OKAY to copy your own photograph to create a work of art.
- IT'S OKAY to buy the rights to use a photograph from the photographer but remember that you do not obtain the right to copy someone’s art or photograph simply by purchasing a book or magazine containing their images.
- IT'S OKAY to copy works that have exceeded the time limits for copyright protection.