Louisiana Artists: Design the 2026 Duck Stamp and Make History

Can you imagine the pride of knowing that your artwork was good enough to be featured on the 2026 Louisiana Duck Stamp?

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That very thing will happen for someone and their artwork will forever live in history as a part of the Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation stamp collection.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has just announced the entry period for the 2026 Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp competition which will run from October 20 through October 28, 2025 and the contest itself will be held on October 29 in the Joe L. Herring (Louisiana) Room at the LDWF Headquarters building, beginning at 10:00 am. The public is invited to attend.

According to LDWF's Waterfowl Program Manager, Jason Olszak, "The featured species for the 2026 competition will be the Ross’s goose. This is the first time the Ross’s goose has been the focus of Louisiana’s duck stamp art competition, now in its 38th year.”

Artists are reminded of the requirement for associated habitat representative of Louisiana wetlands.

John Nelson Harris of Groveland, Florida knows the pride associated with winning this prestigious competition after designing the 2025 winning stamp featuring black-bellied whistling duck(s). The Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp bearing that design will go on sale June 1, 2025.

“The primary objective of this program is to provide revenue to create, enhance and maintain habitat for waterfowl and associated wetland wildlife,” Olszak said, “so a habitat component is required in each entry and is one of the five judging criteria.”

Judging for the art competition will be based on the following criteria:

• Accuracy of form, size, proportion, color and posture.
• Level and accuracy of detail in all aspects of the waterfowl.
• Appropriateness, accuracy and detail in depiction of the habitat.
• Attractiveness and creativity in composition, subject, background and lighting.
• Suitability for reproduction as stamps and prints.

A panel of judges with experience in waterfowl biology and/or artistic method will select the winning design. The competition is open to all artists 18 years of age and older. Employees of LDWF and members of their immediate families are ineligible.

To enter, an artist must submit an original, unpublished work of art, along with a signed and notarized artist's agreement and a $50 entry fee.

For all the rules and a link to fill out the 2026 Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Competition artist agreement just go to wlf.louisiana.gov