Some of the nation’s best wildlife artists are submitting artwork for the 2016 North Carolina Waterfowl Conservation Stamp competition.

Those entries will be judged Monday, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Washington Civic Center. Doors open to the public at 9 a.m.

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, six entries had been received, according to Lynn Wingate, Washington’s director of tourism development. Friday is the deadline to submit entries. Last year’s competition attracted 35 entries from 22 states.

“We looked at it last week to do a comparison, and, as of Friday, we are ahead of where we were last year at the same time as far as entries go. We know this week is going to be a busy week for receiving entries,” Wingate said.

The duck-stamp competition serves as a prelude for the 21^st-annual East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships in Washington the weekend of Feb. 5-7. Guy Crittenden’s painting of black ducks won last year’s competition. This year’s blue-ribbon entry will be used as the artwork for the prints and stamps sold to help pay for North Carolina’s portion of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international agreement aimed at protecting waterfowl and waterfowl habitat. The sales of prints and stamps also support waterfowl research and purchases equipment used in wetlands management.

This year, artists are asked to submit artwork featuring tundra swan, gadwalls, buffleheads, blue-winged teals or brants in their natural habitats. Entries are judged on the following criteria:

• level and accuracy of detail in all aspects of the anatomy of waterfowl;
• appropriateness, accuracy and detail in depiction of the selected species’ habitat;
• attractiveness and creativity of the composition, regarding spatial balance, lighting and harmony of subject and background; and
• visual appeal and suitability for reproduction at both the print and stamp scales.

The artist who submits the winning entry receives $7,000 in prize money and a $300 travel allowance to help him or her attend the festival. The top five entries will be exhibited during the festival.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the Washington Tourism Development Authority sponsor the annual contest.

The annual wildlife festival, began by the East Carolina Wildfowl Guild and now managed by the Washington Tourism Development Authority, draws some of the best wildlife artists, decoy carvers and wildfowl callers in the nation. The three-day event also brings customers to area businesses and visitors to the city during what is the slowest time of the year (when it comes to sales) for most of those businesses.

A one-day pass to the festival costs $7, with a three-day pass costing $12. Children under 12 years old are admitted at no cost. Tickets may be purchased at the Washington Civic Center.