Sam Dyke Memorial “Old Bird” Antique Decoy Competition

At the Annapolis Decoy Show
Sunday, June 1, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sponsored by the Potomac Decoy Collectors Association

Here is a chance to display a favorite decoy or two from your collection and perhaps take home a ribbon!  Entries in the first 4 categories must be 50 years old or older and will be judged in the following six categories:

1. Ward Brothers working decoy
2. Susquehanna Flats working decoy
3. Eastern Shore of Virginia working decoy
4. Eastern Shore of Maryland working decoy
5. Eastern Shore shorebird decoy
6. Contemporary or Decorative decoy

To enter this competition, you must:

• Personally register your decoys between 9 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Saturday, June 1, 2025
• Entry fee: Free, donations encouraged.
• Participants will be limited to 3 entries per category
• Pairs will be judged as a single entry.
• Agree to display entries at the Ward Foundation table during the show, allowing for entries to be photographed for the Ward Foundation and those photos to be shared.
• A “people’s choice” award winner will also be selected by show attendees. 

The winners in each category, as well as the Best in Show decoys, will be determined by a panel of three impartial judges. Judging will take place at noon. Winners will be given ribbons, photographed, and displayed on the Ward Foundation table during the show.

All decoys should be picked up between 2:00 and 3:00 pm.

For information or for us to hold this contest at your show email Kristie Clattenburg at kclattenburg@wardfdn.org

The Ward Foundation proudly hosted the Sam Dyke Memorial “Old Bird” Antique Decoy Contest on June 1, 2025, thanks to the generous invitation from the Annapolis Decoy Show and the Potomac Decoy Collectors Association (PDCA).

Held at the Elks Lodge in Edgewater, Maryland, the ninth annual show brought together decoy collectors from near and far. Familiar faces returned, joined by enthusiastic newcomers, many of whom entered a favorite decoy—or several—into one of the six contest categories.

As a nod to the sponsoring club, the ribbon colors change each year: for the Delmarva Decoy Collectors Association (DDCA), the ribbons are light blue, rose, and cream, while for the PDCA, they are gold, lilac, and light green.

This year, 21 collectors—including two youth participants—submitted 61 entries across the six categories. Guests also cast their votes for the ever-popular People’s Choice Award. Among them was Maryland State Folklorist Dr. Ryan Koons, who joined us to enjoy the show and experience the spirit of the “Old Bird” Contest firsthand.

A heartfelt thank you to the PDCA and the organizers of the Annapolis Decoy Show for such a welcoming and enjoyable day. And thank you to our judges: Ronnie Newcomb, Tom Reed, and Mike Daley. We’re already looking forward to next year!