The 21st annual Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest is underway. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites Maine students in grades K-12 to create designs featuring ducks, geese or swans in their natural habitats.

Designs are judged in four age categories, with awards for first, second and third places and honorable mentions. Entries must be received by March 15. This year the judging will take place from 9 a.m. to noon March 27 at the University of Maine in Orono, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service news release.

The Maine Best of Show entry will compete with contest winners from other states in a national competition in Washington, D.C. The first-place national winning design will be used to create the Federal Junior Duck Stamp. Proceeds from Junior Duck Stamps sales ($5 each) will support conservation education by providing awards and scholarships for students, teachers and schools.

Modeled after the annual Federal Duck Stamp competition, the Junior Duck Stamp contest is part of an educational curriculum that teaches students about waterfowl, the importance of wetlands, and habitat conservation. Proceeds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps protect wetlands through land acquisition by the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Contest rules and entry forms are available at fws.gov/juniorduck. For more information, call Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge at 454-7161.