16-year-old artist’s king eider duck wins junior duck stamp contest

Sixteen-year-old artist Si Youn Kim of New Jersey won the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2014-15 federal junior duck stamp contest.

Her acrylic painting depicts a single king eider duck in water.

The work was judged to be the top painting among best-of-show entries from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The contest winner receives a $1,000 award, and her painting will be featured as the design of the $5 federal junior duck stamp.

The stamp will be issued June 27 at the Department of Interior building in Washington, D.C., as part of a ceremony that also includes the release of the 2014-15 federal duck stamp.

Both duck stamp artists are expected to attend the event and sign stamps and covers.

The junior duck stamp program started in 1993. Although junior duck stamps are not required for hunting, as a courtesy to collectors they are listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers in the revenue stamp section.

For more information about the junior duck stamp program, visit www.fws.gov/juniorduck.