Mark you calendars! The cable channel Animal Planet will premiere The Million Dollar Duck, a documentary about the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest, on Wednesday, September 14, at 9 pm Eastern Time/8 pm Central Time.

The 92-minute film follows six wildlife artists as they compete in the so-called Olympics of wildlife art, the only juried art competition run by the U.S. government.

The Federal Duck Stamp is sold for $25 at sporting goods stores and other retail locations that sell sporting and recreation equipment. The stamps grant bearers free entrance to National Wildlife Refuges, while 98 percent of the purchase price goes directly to help acquire and protect wetland habitat and purchase conservation easements for the refuge system.

The new Duck Stamp

A new stamp is published each year. The artwork for the stamp is chosen from hundreds of entries at the annual Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest.

The 2016 contest, held September 9 and 10 at the Academy of Natural Sciences, in Philadelphia, was won by Minnesota artist James Hautman, whose painting shows three Canada Geese in flight. Hautman’s painting will be made into the 2017-18 stamp.

Animal Planet says it will broadcast The Million Dollar Duck as part of its new Animal Planet Presents franchise, a showcase for documentaries that explore the intersection of the animal, human, and natural worlds.

“The Million Dollar Duck is a humorous and quirky film that reveals the excitement and tension around the art competition that has brought in over $800 million to protect America’s wetlands… with a Duck Stamp,” said Patrice Andrews, general manager of Animal Planet. “This Animal Planet Presents film perfectly supports our goal to galvanize our audiences around animal welfare and the environment while showing how we can positively impact the natural world.”

The documentary was directed by Brian Golden Davis. It won the Audience Award for best documentary feature and the Jury Award for documentary feature at the Slamdance Film Festival, held in Park City, Utah, in January 2016.

Canada Geese will take wing on 2017-18 Duck Stamp (9/12/2016).

Painting of Ross’s Geese wins 2016 Junior Duck Stamp competition (4/22/2016).

Swans fly onto Federal Duck Stamp after half-century absence (9/20/2015).

Read more about the Federal Duck Stamp.

 

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Originally Published September 12, 2016