George Keller, Rochester, Michigan, took Best of Show in the 2010 IWCA Working Decoy Championship at the St. Clair Waterfowl Show last Saturday. George’s winning Smew won the sea duck category over 26 entries, then took BOS in the final judging.

The competition had a record 180 working birds, many with outstanding paint work for the service division. Many of the birds competed in the club’s own working bird division, then entered the championship contest. IWCA asks clubs to either cancel their corresponding local contest when they hold an IWCA championship or allow carvers to enter both contests. In this case, St. Clair allowed carvers to enter both events resulting in a high number of entries of excellent quality.

Congratulations to George for his excellent work! Click here for complete championship results.

June 29, 2010: Results of the 2010 Core Sound Rig Contest are posted under Competition Results. Photos are posted in the IWCA Gallery. Go to results.

June 29, 2010:  Each year, IWCA calls for illustrations depicting a slogan of the year. This year, the slogan is "IWCA...Carving's Future...You bet!"

The winning entry is selected at the annual board meeting, and the winning entry is used in advertising and promotional campaigns through the following year. The winner receives $250.00. Original art (minimum size 8 1/2 x 11, color preferred) must be received  no later than August 6, 2010.  Mail to IWCA, 194 Summerside Drive, Centralia, WA 98531.

June 10, 2010   IWCA will host a photo Shoot at the St. Clair Flats Waterfowl Competition on August 14, 2010. Carvers can have professional photos of their work taken at the show. Carvings do not have to be entered in the show to take advantage of this IWCA member benefit. Learn how a Photo Shoot works.

*  When youngsters in several Downeast elementary schools asked to stay after school for a waterfowl carving program, the Core Sound Decoy Guild was ready to help. Read more about this ongoing project by clicking here. Also, review even more photos of the kids in action in the IWCA Gallery, Category "Core Sound Youth_CIS2010."

* In 2004, Ivie Elliott won the Contemporary Decoy division in the Lem & Steve Ward Shootin' Stool Competition at Ward World Championship. Now, Ivie has donated a bluebill drake to IWCA to be used as a fundraiser for the organization's educational efforts. You can see the terms of the offer and photographs of Ivie's decoy in the IWCA Wildlife Gallery .

*   IWCA will be holding a photo shoot at the Core Sound Rig Contest on June 26, 2010 and will gladly photograph decoys for IWCA members with no sitting fee. You do not have to register for the rig contest to have your birds photographed, just bring them to the contest . Learn more.