Clarke Area Arts Council is hosting the 2015 Iowa Junior Duck Stamp contest winners. The posters are on display until Oct. 29 at Osceola Public Library. The exhibit includes 36 pieces of artwork of Iowa’s first, second and third place winners
Also included in the exhibit this year are 16 winners from the Ukraine. This project, known as the Iowa USA/Vinogradovsky District Ukraine Student Art Exchange Project, made its debut in 1999. As part of this cultural exchange, the 2015 Iowa winners are on display in the Ukraine, while the Ukrainian contest winners travel Iowa with the Iowa winners.
The Junior Duck Stamp contest is modeled after the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the “Duck Stamp.” The competition is held annually and all students in grades K-12 may participate in the contest.
The Federal Junior Duck Stamp program in Iowa, managed by the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City, is a conservation program designed to teach students about waterfowl conservation and wetlands habitat through an art and science-based curriculum.
Entry forms for the 2016 contest are at Osceola Public Library and will be accepted anytime but must be postmarked by March 15, 2016.
Mail entries to the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 399, 9981 Pacific St., Prairie City, IA 50228.
For more information about the contest, contact Doreen Van Ryswyk at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge at 515-994-3400 or go to the website: www.fws.gov/duckstamps.
The hours for Osceola Public Library, 300 S. Fillmore St., are Monday and Wednesday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday and Friday noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.