2017 Janice M. Smith Champagne Waterfowl Competition - December 1st

The Janice Smith Memorial Champagne Waterfowl Competition is hosted by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center during their annual "Waterfowl Weekend" and at the same time as the Core Sound Decoy Festival in Harkers Island, NC. the first weekend in December.

Janice Smith Memorial Champagne Floating Waterfowl Competition

Sponsored by the Kathryn Smith Chadwick Family

Registration starting at 4pm - December 1st, 2017 - Judging begins at 6:00pm.

Entries may be any species of domestic North American waterfowl (geese, swan & ducks. Loons will be included.)

First Place will become the property of the competition sponsor and will on display for a period of one year at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center.

Second and Third place entries become the property of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center and will be auctioned off (live auction) directly following the competition.

Each competing carver will get two complimentary tickets to attend the Waterfowl Weekend Friday Night Party where the competition will take place. 

Pick-up:

Entries (other than 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place) may be picked up immediately following the competition. If the competitor wishes for someone other than him or herself to pick up their entry, they MUST designate the authorized person (with a phone number) on their form at the time of entry or provide a shipping box complete with packing material and return postage to mail out after Monday, December 4^th.

Entry fee:

$10 each entry. Mail-ins will be accepted and must include return postage.

Prizes:

First place: $400 plus ribbon ~ Second place: $300 plus ribbon ~ Third place: $200 plus ribbon

Rules: 

1. Entries must fit within a 3 ½” circle
2. Entries must float properly but do not have to self-right
3. Habitat may be included in an entry’s base but cannot be used as an aid to floatation
4. Entries can be either flat bottom or with a keel; the judges will not give preference to either 

For more information or to obtain the entry form, contact Pam Morris at pamdmorris@coresound.com or call 252-728-1500 x25

History of the Janice M. Smith Champagne Waterfowl Competition

by: Pam D Morris, Core Sound Museum

The late Janice M. Smith and her husband Billy were waterfowl enthusiasts, spending time at the Easton Waterfowl Festival, the Ward World Carving Competition and in southern Louisiana where they visited in conjunction with their seafood business, collecting from some of the finest decoy carvers in the world during this time period.

Janice and Billy were very supportive of the Core Sound Decoy Festival and worked to bring some ideas of what they had observed at other waterfowl festivals back home to try. One of these ideas was a contest featuring a decoy small enough to fit inside of a champagne glass (3.5”) held at the Easton Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD. The contest was held for one year at the Core Sound Decoy Festival in the mid-1990’s.

It was their love of Core Sound decoy carving, and the heritage that bred these carvers, which persuaded Janice and Billy (the first CSWM Board Chairman) to support the establishment of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center. Janice never gave up on the idea of champagne waterfowl decoy competition and spoke of it periodically. After her passing in early 2015, Kathryn S. Chadwick, granddaughter of Janice & Billy (then the CSWM&HC Board Chair) pursued sponsoring a contest in Janice’s memory. Thus the first Janice M. Smith Champagne Waterfowl Competition was held in conjunction with Waterfowl Weekend 2015. The winner of the 2015 contest was Walter “Brother” Gaskill and the 2016 winner was Gary Doviak.