About the IWCA
Welcome to the home of the
International Wildfowl Carvers Association
You'll find information about IWCA as you browse our site, and we're ready to answer any questions you might have about the organization or wildfowl carving.
The International Wildfowl Carvers Association, better known as IWCA, is the outgrowth of a group of carvers from all parts of the country who met in 1986 to find a way to establish competition rules and procedures that would be uniformly fair for all carvers. The organization was officially formed in 1988 with a mission to promote development of wildlife art and the uniquely American art of the decoy.
In 1999, the rules were expanded to include fish carving. In 2001, canvas decoy rules were added and in 2002, working decoy rules were adopted. In 2007 a Shorebird Championship was added and in 2009, the first YOUNG GUNS Championship was held.
IWCA’s goals were and continue to be to promote carving competitions, define standards for competition divisions, establish carver levels, define judging procedures, promote the selection of qualified judges, and develop and maintain a central registration system.
It has been 23 years since IWCA was officially founded. Just think of the progress that has been made since 1988. But we can’t rest on our laurels. We have created a dynamic set of rules that change with the times. Our work is never done as we seek that elusive degree of perfection.