2009 Washington State Decoy Carving Contest

You are invited to compete in the 2009 Washington State Ducks Unlimited Decoy Carving Contest to be held at the Washington Ducks Unlimited State Convention, June 27, 2009, at Mirabeau Park Hotel, Spokane Valley, WA.

Hunting Decoy

The bird chosen to be judged as a hunting decoy this year is the adult male Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) in winter plumage.  The entry fee will be $10.00 for each bird entered ($15.00 for mail-in entries to cover return postage).  Checks can be made payable to Ducks Unlimited.  All decoys not placing in the top three positions will be returned.  It would be greatly appreciated that any bird not placing in the top three positions be donated to support the contest; a donation receipt is included with this announcement to help in tax purposes.  The prizes will be awarded as follows:

1st Place  -$500                  2nd Place - $300                   3rd Place - $150

Rosettes will be awarded to each of the winning carvers in addition to the cash prize.

Hunting Decoy Carving Rules

1. Decoy must have been completed after June 1st, 2008

2. Decoys may be of wood, cork or stretched canvas.  Glass eyes are allowed.  Machine duplicated decoys are not allowed.

3. Carving and painting should be functional enough to be used as tools for hunting.  No raised wings or under-cut feathers.

4. No burning or fine-stoned texturing is allowed.  However, simulated texturing using Gesso, modeling paste, or texture paint in combination with combing, scratching or brushing is acceptable.

5. Bills, tails, and other “vulnerable” areas must be durable and can be reinforced.

6. Ballast weights, keels, and tie-on devices are part of the decoy and will be judged as such.
7. In the water, the decoy must self-right from any position.

8. All entries will be reviewed by the judges for compliance to rules prior to floating.  The final judging will be at a distance of 30 feet of the floating entry.  Multiple entries will be in the water at the same time for comparison.

9. All markings identifying the carver will be covered.

10. Any decoy that splits, checks, or has paint deterioration prior to completion of the judging will be disqualified.

Bird Of The Marsh

The “Bird of the Marsh” can be any bird commonly found in a marsh in Washington State.  This bird can be of any size, shape, posture, activity, or realistic/artistic arrangement.  Be imaginative!!!  The Bird of the Marsh will not be judged by IWCA rules or be floated in the dunk pond.  Entries in this category must have been completed after June 1st, 2008.  The entry fee will also be $10.00 for each bird entered ($15.00 for mail-in entries to cover return postage).  All decoys not placing in the top two positions will be returned.  The prizes will be awarded as follows;

1st Place - $150        2nd Place - $100
 
Rosettes will be awarded to each of the winning carvers in addition to the cash prize.

Best In Show

A plaque will be given to the carver of the bird judged as “Best in Show”   This award will be judged by all attendees of the 2009 Washington Unlimited State Convention.  This award can be given to Hunting or Bird of the Marsh decoys.  This award will be prior to, and totally separate from, the Hunting Decoy and Bird of the Marsh awards.

How to Enter a Decoy

All completed entry forms and decoys are requested to be received by June 24th, 2009.  If you are attending the convention and contest, the decoys being judged can be hand carried to the show, but must be on site before 10:00 AM Saturday, June 27th.  However, the entry forms themselves should be in before June 24th.  Judging will take place on Saturday June 27th, 2009.  All birds placing in the money will become the property of WA Ducks Unlimited and will be auctioned off at the convention banquet on Saturday evening. 

 Ducks Unlimited Hunting Decoy Judging Procedures

• All entries will be reviewed in hand for compliance to rules prior to floating.                                                       

• All entries that pass will then be placed in the tank by a decoy attendant and judged for self-righting and floatation.

• All qualified decoys will then be judged for likeness of species, coloration, attitude on the water, flotation, and how well the decoy projects.  This final judging will be at a distance of 30 + feet.  Decoys can be in the tank with other entries at this time so that they can compete equally based on ability to project the essence of the species.

• All entries will be scored by the judges, using a numerical system of 0-10 on the five major categories:

1. 1. Craftsmanship
2. 2. Accuracy
3. 3. Essence of the species
4. 4. Overall presentation
5. 5. Service ability – (Keel, Ballast, Tie-On, Floating)

•Judging committee’s decisions are final

Click here for printable receipt and entry form

To view previous species selected click here