(a) General restrictions. A live portrayal of any bird(s) of the five or fewer identified eligible waterfowl species must be the dominant feature of the design. The design may depict more than one of the eligible species. The judges' overall mandate is to select the best design that will make an interesting, useful, and attractive duck stamp that will be accepted and prized by hunters, stamp collectors, conservationists, and others. The design must be the contestant's original hand-drawn creation. The entry design may not be copied or duplicated from previously published art, including photographs, or from images in any format published on the internet. Photographs, computer-generated art, or art produced from a computer printer or other computer/mechanical output device (airbrush method excepted) are not eligible to be entered into the contest and will be disqualified. An entry submitted in a prior contest that was not selected for a Federal or State stamp design may be submitted in the current contest if the entry meets the criteria set forth in this section.

(b) Mandatory waterfowl hunting components. In addition to the restrictions set forth in paragraph (a) of this section, all designs must also include appropriate waterfowl hunting-related accessories or elements celebrating the Federal Duck Stamp's longstanding connection as part of our Nation's waterfowl hunting heritage and the contributions to conservation made by waterfowl hunters. Designs may include, but are not limited to, waterfowl hunting dogs, waterfowl hunting scenes, waterfowl hunting equipment, waterfowl decoys, or other designs that represent our waterfowl hunting heritage. The designs chosen will clearly meet the theme of “celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage.”

[83 FR 12279, Mar. 21, 2018, as amended at 85 FR 27317, May 8, 2020]