Winners of DE Annual Stamp Art Competition

Images courtesy DNREC

The judging was held last week – and the winners for the 2020-21 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and the 2020 Delaware Trout Stamp have been chosen.  A painting of an American wigeon and a chocolate lab by Guy Crittenden of Richmond, VA was chosen from 19 entries for the waterfowl stamp.  A painting of a rainbow trout by Jeffrey Klinefelter of Etna Green, IN was chosen from 11 entries for the trout stamp.  The winning 2020/21 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp will be available for purchase July 1, 2020, and the winning 2020 Delaware Trout Stamp will be available for purchase Jan. 1, 2020.

The annual stamp art competition, held April 4 at the Dover Public Library, drew 19 entries for the 2020/21 Waterfowl Stamp and 11 entries for the 2020 Trout Stamp. The Waterfowl Stamp contest specified that submitted artwork must include an American wigeon and a chocolate Labrador retriever. Trout Stamp artwork entries could be of a rainbow, brown, or brook trout.

As the 2020/21 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp winner, Guy Crittenden receives a $2,500 prize and 150 artist’s proofs of the limited edition print series of his first-place entry. A naturalist with an interest in ornithology, Crittenden began drawing and painting at an early age based on his experiences with nature. He has won the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp competition seven times, including the 2019/20 contest in March. This is his first Delaware Waterfowl Stamp win. In addition to Delaware and Virginia, Crittenden has won waterfowl stamp contests in nine other states. The artist also owns a commercial photography and video production company in Richmond, Va.

As the 2020 Delaware Trout Stamp winner, Jeffrey Klinefelter receives a $250 prize and retains the rights to reproduce and sell prints of the stamp artwork. After developing an interest in drawing and painting at a young age, Klinefelter graduated from Indiana University’s Herron School of Art. His interest in wildlife art came a few years later when he entered the Federal Duck Stamp and Indiana Duck Stamp contests. Since then, he has won numerous stamp contests, including three Delaware Waterfowl Stamp contests and five Delaware Trout Stamp contests. He has also won the 2016/17 Ohio Wetland Habitat Stamp competition and the 2015 Connecticut Duck Stamp contest.

Other winners were:

• 2020/21 Waterfowl Stamp: Second place, Jeffrey Klinefelter, Etna Green, Ind.; Third place, Mark Thone, Shakopee, Minn.; Honorable mentions: Scott Calpino, Bernville, Pa.; Caleb Metrich, Lake Tomahawk, Wis.; and Karin Snoots, Harbeson, Del.
• 2020 Trout Stamp: Second place, Eric Jablonowski, Suwanee, Ga., rainbow trout; Third place, Ryan Rickaby, Green Bay, Wis., brown trout. Honorable mentions: Micah Hanson, St. Charles, Minn., brown trout; Jeffrey Klinefelter, Etna Green, Ind., brown trout; and Ryan Peterson, Jackson, Wyo., brown trout.

Waterfowl and Trout Stamp entries will be on display Monday, April 15 through Friday, April 26 in the Licensing Office at DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. For more information, please call 302-739-9918.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, started the Delaware Waterfowl Stamp (formerly known as the Delaware Duck Stamp) and print program in 1980 to raise funds for waterfowl conservation, including acquiring and improving wetland habitats vital to the survival of migratory waterfowl. To date, more than $3 million has been raised. A Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and hunting license are required by most waterfowl hunters.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife began requiring trout stamps for anglers in the 1950s, and a trout stamp and a general fishing license are required by most anglers to fish in designated trout waters during certain seasons, with the funds from the sale of the stamps used to purchase trout to stock in two downstate ponds and selected streams in northern New Castle County.

Delaware hunting and fishing licenses, as well as Waterfowl Stamps and Trout Stamps, are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase licenses or stamps online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware hunting and fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.