DNREC’s Delaware Waterfowl Stamp Program helps raise funds for waterfowl conservation. Hunters and stamp collectors buy stamps and prints. The money raised is used to restore and improve wetland habitat vital for migratory waterfowl. DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife began the program in 1980, in partnership with Delaware Ducks Unlimited. The program has generated more than $3.6 million.

The 2027/2028 Waterfowl Stamp

A painting of a pair of Goldeneye Ducks, flying past an historic Delaware lighthouse, by Jonathan Milo of Monroe, Connecticut, will grace the 2027/2028 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp. Mr. Milo receives a $2,500 cash prize and 150 artist’s proofs of the limited edition print series of his first-place entry.

The annual competition drew 13 entries for the 2026/2027 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp. A panel of judges selected the winning artwork that will adorn the Delaware Waterfowl Stamp for the year’s hunting season.

DNREC retains rights to use the original artwork. In addition to the stamp, DNREC also produces prints available for purchase.

View the Winning Waterfowl Stamp Contest Entries — the top three waterfowl paintings and three honorable mentions.

Delaware Waterfowl Stamps

Those who hunt waterfowl in Delaware are required to have a Delaware Waterfowl Stamp. The cost of a Delaware Waterfowl Stamp is $15 for residents ages 16 to 64 and $15 for non-residents ages 16 and older. Delaware residents ages 65 and older are exempt from purchasing a Delaware Waterfowl Stamp.

Waterfowl stamps can be purchased online, in-person at an authorized license agent, or at the licensing desk inside DNREC’s Richardson and Robbins Building, at 89 Kings Highway, in Dover.

Hunters who want a physical copy of their expired Waterfowl Stamp can request one online.

Buying Physical Stamps and Stamp Art

For stamp collectors, past Delaware Waterfowl Stamps and prints are available for purchase using the Waterfowl Stamps Order Form.

Habitat Improvements

Funds from the sales of waterfowl stamps and prints have been used to restore and improve habitat for waterfowl and a diversity of other wildlife at several state wildlife areas. They include Assawoman, Little Creek, Ted Harvey and Woodland Beach state wildlife areas.

The program also supports a partnership with Ducks Unlimited to restore maritime wetland habitat in Canada. Canadian maritime habitats are breeding grounds for many waterfowl that migrate through and winter in Delaware.

More Information

For more information on Delaware Waterfowl Stamps and prints, please contact the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Recreational Licensing Program, at 302-739-9918 or by email, at DFWRecLic@delaware.gov.

Did you know there’s also a Delaware Trout Stamp Contest?

Related Topics:  art, contest, education, fish and wildlife, fish-wildlife, hunting, outreach, stamp, waterfowl, wildlife