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The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, in coordination with Historic Cane Hill and the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, invites artists from throughout the nation to participate in this year’s expanded Arkansas State Quail and Turkey Stamp Art Competition.
The 2023 contest builds upon the excellent competition held during last year’s Northern Bobwhite Conservation Stamp Contest, which was won by Arkansas artist Tim Tyler. The contest will have two divisions this year, one for the Northern Bobwhite contest, and one to compete for placement on Arkansas’s Eastern Wild Turkey Conservation Stamp. Artists will have the opportunity to submit up to three original pieces of artwork split however they wish between images of quail conservation and turkey conservation.
“The addition of the turkey stamp category just made good sense,” Jeremy Wood, AGFC turkey program coordinator, said. “Turkeys rely on similar vegetative conditions (low growing grassy/herbaceous plants) that quail rely on for their entire life history. The success of these ground nesting birds are intertwined and this partnership was just another way to continue to emphasize the benefits that managing for either species can have on the other.”
Also new this year, artists from around the nation are eligible to submit their work using an online portal at OnlineJuriedShows.com. The deadline for entries is 11:59 p.m. Feb. 4. Artists will be notified via email if their work is one of the top three pieces in their category. Original artwork will need to be delivered to Historic Cane Hill’s exhibition venue no later than March 4 so that the winning work for each stamp can be unveiled March 18.
Winners of each category will receive $2,500 in prize money and have their work displayed on the 2023 Northern Bobwhite Conservation Stamp and 2023 Eastern Wild Turkey Stamp. First and second runners-up will each receive $500 and $250.
Clint Johnson, AGFC quail program coordinator, says the art created in this competition has fueled thousands of acres of habitat enhancement work, directed by the AGFC’s quail and turkey programs. Last year, turkey stamp sales generated $97,355, while quail stamp sales accounted for $45,900. The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Arkansas State Chapter also provided $45,501 from fundraising efforts.
“We were able to match that money with other partner contributions to generate $315,000 worth of funds and in-kind contributions.”
AGFC staff have planned 10 projects, enhancing roughly 2,500 acres, using these funds.
“And all of that was from a single year’s sales of a voluntary stamp,” Johnson said. “It’s pretty impressive how our hunters and wildlife watchers have both stepped up to contribute to habitat like this.”
A full outline of the contest, including details of the technical guidelines and a link to the submission portal, is available at https://historiccanehillar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/QuailTurkeyStampProspectusWeb.pdf.
Contact David Collins at [email protected] for more information.
