09/02/2026
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📩 Enter Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp Photo Contest 📷
🔗 https://ow.ly/GZSv50ZFgal
The 18th annual Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp photo contest to determine the subject of the 2027 stamp is open until September 15, 2026. Mammals are the theme of this year’s contest.
Each year, the legacy stamp showcases a photograph of Ohio’s native wildlife species, selected through a contest and judged on the photo’s originality, composition, technical excellence, and overall beauty. This year’s photo contest is open through September 15 for Ohio residents aged 18 and older. Submitted photos should contain a mammal other than white-tailed deer and be taken in Ohio.
The winner of the legacy stamp photo contest will be announced this fall, and the stamp featuring that photograph will go on sale in March of 2027. The 2026 Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp, featuring a killdeer, is on sale now. The killdeer photo featured on this year’s stamp was taken by Jennifer Beck, of Lyndhurst. Beck is a two-time winner of the competition. Her photo of a bald eagle and an eaglet was featured on the 2022 legacy stamp.
For $15, Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp purchasers receive a collectible stamp and commemorative card. Stamp holders can also receive a discount on stays at nine of Ohio’s state park lodges. All of the stamp’s proceeds go to wildlife conservation with most benefiting species of greatest conservation need. Every year, the Division of Wildlife donates $1 from every stamp sold to the Southern Wings program, which protects the overwintering habitats of Neotropical migratory birds that pass through Ohio.
The remaining Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp proceeds go to the state’s Wildlife Diversity Fund. This fund supports habitat restoration, wildlife research projects, educational materials, and efforts to conserve endangered and threatened species. The fund ensures that all wildlife species, from the killdeer to the bald eagle, have the habitat, resources, and protection necessary to succeed in Ohio’s varied ecosystems.
Southern Wings is an initiative of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), an organization which gives a collective voice to state, provincial, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies in North America. Through Southern Wings, AFWA is helping migratory birds across their annual lifecycle, supporting conservation at breeding, migration, and nonbreeding sites. The program has contributed more than $4 million to projects in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
📷 Roni Leatherman
Learn more: https://ow.ly/jsCn50ZFgxT
