2025 Convention & Competition Information
Thursday, April 3 – Sunday, April 6, 2025
Holiday Inn Auburn-Finger Lakes Region
75 North Street
Auburn, New York 13021
Call 315-253-4531 with code UTB or book directly online using the link below for a discounted room rate of $119 up to two weeks before the show. Book here: https://tinyurl.com/UTNYRoom2025
Schedule of Events
Click to expand the schedule below. Access to seminars (except the all-day seminar) are included in your convention registration. You can visit this page for general information and FAQs related to UTNY’s annual convention and competition. Please note this schedule is subject to change, and there will be no day-long seminar on Thursday as in years’ past.
| 4–4:30 p.m. | Board of Directors meeting |
| 4:30 p.m. | Set up competition and supply areas—everyone's help is appreciated! |
| 6–9 p.m. | Registration and competition pieces received |
| 8 a.m.–12 p.m. | Walk-in and board member registration and competition pieces received *All board members' pieces must be received by noon |
| 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | Pre-registered competition pieces received |
| 9–11:30 a.m. | Seminar #1: Molding and Casting Whitetail Facial Parts with Gary Weir |
| 10 a.m. | Supply area opens |
| 12 p.m. | Judges' meeting; judging begins |
| 1–4 p.m. | Seminar #2: Mounting an African Gamhead with Brian Noody |
| Seminar #3: Sculpting a Small Mammal Shoulder with Gianni Sanzo | |
| 5–6 p.m. | Competition room open for viewing; voting for member-chosen awards |
| 6–7 p.m. | Warm-up party @ Burger Theory! Food and drink provided. |
| 6–10 p.m. | New this year: Mount Off |
| 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | Supply area open |
| 8:30–11 a.m. | Seminar #4: TBA with Ken Walker |
| Seminar #5: Artistic Design and Composition Techniques with Lowell Shaply | |
| 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Competition room open for ribbon viewing and judges' critiques |
| 1–3 p.m. | Kids Seminar |
| 1–4 p.m. | Seminar #6: Painting Duck Bills, Artificial Feet, and Cast Turkey Heads with Kevin Flaherity and Todd Capitano |
| 2:30–4 p.m. | Supply area breakdown |
| 6–6:30 p.m. | Cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres, cash bar |
| 6:30 p.m. | UTNY banquet, auction, and awards ceremony; competition room re-opens after the banquet |
| 9 a.m. | UTNY membership meeting with voting for vacant board positions; all members should attend |
Following the membership meeting, you may remove your competition pieces. Please bring your mount tickets! We'll break down the competition area—everyone's help is appreciated.
At the conclusion of the convention, the UTNY Board of Directors meeting will take place.
Information for 2025 Convention Attendees
Our suppliers are generous supporters of the United Taxidermists of New York—they help make our show a success every year! As part of your convention registration you'll have access to our friendly, expert supplier. Talk taxidermy and pick up some great discounts.
You may purchase banquet tickets for yourself and your guests when you register for the convention. Special awards are presented at the banquet. We hope you can join us on Saturday night for a delicious buffet and a good time!
Thanks to the donations of our suppliers, the community, and several individuals, we're able to host a lively auction each year. Proceeds benefit the United Taxidermists of New York and help to fund future conventions. Several items and experiences will be up for auction on Saturday night.
2025 Competition Information
If you wish to enter a piece—or several pieces—in the 2025 competition, which occurs concurrently with the convention, be sure to review the rules and requirements so you can select the proper division and category of entry. Note that competition entires must be submitted IN ADDITION to your convention registration. Additional fees apply.
President's Challenge
The president’s challenge for the 2025 competition is any fish mount. The winner for this special award will be chosen by the president of the United Taxidermists of New York, Jerry St. Pierre. To be considered for this award, an additional entry fee of $10 is required.
Mount Off - New for 2025
Complete a shoulder mount of your choice in 4 hours with a 30-minute touch up the following morning. Any mammal shoulder mount can be entered and will be categorized accordingly if there are enough entries to compete against each other in each category. We will then have separate voting for each of those categories (e.g. Whitetail, Small Mammal, Gameheads). Members will have a chance to vote on their favorite mount before the Banquet. The cost to participate in $25.
- Participants will have exactly 4 hours (6–10 p.m. on Friday) to complete their mount
- Mounts will be locked up until Saturday morning, when the participants will have an additional 30 minutes to complete final touch-ups
- Forms may be altered, antler/horn sets, and all cape prep may be completed prior to the event
- Forms should be unprepped and bare—clay work and Bondo ears (if doing them) are to be completed during the Mount Off
- Participants must provide all their own supplies and mounting tools needed
Competition Judges
Learn more about the four judges who will score your pieces at the 2024 competition.
Hello, my name is Gary Weir. I live in Montrose, Colorado. I’m honored to be your whitetail judge for your 2025 convention. Growing up in Texas, some of my best memories were hunting deer with my father. I’m looking forward to judging your pieces and giving critiques. Hopefully I can share my knowledge of the species I love so much. I’ve heard so much about your organization and have met several of your members. My wife and I are looking forward to this great convention. A few of my achievements include two-time national champion with deer, closed and open mouth. 2023 North American Champion and winning the Bruchac Memorial Award. In 2024 I was honored to judge whitetails at the National Show, World Show, and several amazing state shows.
Our 2025 Bird and Fish judge is Lowell Shapley from Texas. Lowell is an award-winning renowned wildlife painter, sculptor, and taxidermist whose work has found homes collections around the world. As an avid outdoorsman with a passion for wildlife, Lowell has been fortunate enough to see and experience many wonders of our vast natural world and recreate them in his own artistic expression. Lowell has been a full-time taxidermist for 22 years and has won two world titles and two best of shows with birds at the world taxidermy championships.
“Through these experiences and my love of painting, I strive to illuminate the subjects of my work with vivid, explosive color, and the raw dynamic action of the untamed world.” – Lowell Shapley
Ken Walker, from Alberta Canada, is a three-time World Champion taxidermist and Sculptor. In 2003 Ken was hired to join a group of prestigious taxidermists for the renovation of the hall of mammals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Ken is an icon in the industry and well known for his recreations of endangered or extinct animals which include the Irish Elk, Saber Tooth Tiger, and Giant Panda.
Special Awards
Each mount you enter in the competition will be scored based on the category and division for which it was entered. All entrants who score within certain point values will earn a ribbon. Special awards are sponsored by suppliers, organizations, taxidermists, and more, and winners are selected in a variety of ways—high scores, community voting, judges vote, etc. Your competition entry will automatically be considered for all special awards with the exception of those that require additional registration or entry fees. Be sure to check the registration table upon arrival, as we may have added more special awards that you are eligible for. Award winners are announced at the Saturday banquet.
The awards listed below are subject to change.
Judges' Choice Awards
- Breakthrough Award
Overall best of show - Brian Harness Mammal Award
Small mammal in any division; something Brian would like - Jordan’s Wild Turkey Award
Best turkey in the Professional or Masters division - Mounted in Alaska Award
Best large species life-size or gamehead - Research Manikins Best Small Mammal Award (2)
One Professional division winner and one Amateur division winner - Tru Bond Trappers Award
Best indigenous New York small mammal - Sivko Fur Best of Show, Commercial Division
Winner chosen from Commercial division blue ribbon awardees - UTNY Best of Show, Youth Division
Winner chosen from Best of Category awardees across the Youth division - UTNY Best of Show, Amateur Division
Winner chosen from Best of Category awardees across the Amateur division - UTNY Best of Show, Professional Division
Winner chosen from Best of Category awardees across the Professional Division - UTNY Best of Show, Masters Division
Winner chosen from Best of Category awardees across the Masters division - UTNY Habitat Award
Best habitat across all entries - UTNY Joseph Bruchac Memorial Award
Best whitetail deer across all divisions - UTNY Upland Gamebird Award
Best upland bird in the Professional or Masters divisions - UTNY Waterfowl Habitat Award
Best waterfowl habitat - Van Dyke Award
Most creative entry in the Professional or Master divisions - Warren Hardendorf Memorial Award
Best small mammal in the Masters division - WASCO Award
Most artistic entry - Woody Award for Excellence in Taxidermy
All pieces considered
Awards for Highest-Scoring Mounts
- Best All Around Taxidermist ($25 entry fee)
Highest total score (minimum 340) of mammal, bird, fish, and gamehead in all divisions - Buckshot Tannery Pro Life-Size Mammal Award
Highest score for a life-size mammal - Jack Wilson Award
Highest-scoring waterfowl in the Masters division - Larry Clingerman Award
Highest-scoring waterfowl in the Professional division - Safari Club Adirondack – Catskill Chapter Non-North American Award
Highest-scoring non-North American big game mount in the professional or masters divisions - Safari Club Adirondack – Catskill Chapter North American Award
Highest-scoring North American big game mount in the professional or masters divisions - West Wind Taxidermy Gamehead Award
Highest-scoring gamehead in the Amateur division - West Wind Taxidermy Life-Size Award
Highest-scoring small or large mammal in the Amateur division - UTNY Best Non-Gamebird Award
Highest score for non-gamebirds in the Professional or Masters divisions - UTNY Distinguished Taxidermist Award, Amateur or Professional Division ($25 entry fee)
Highest total score (minimum 260) of three pieces in the Amateur or Professional divisions - UTNY Distinguished Taxidermist Award, Masters Division ($25 entry fee)
Highest total score of three pieces (minimum 260) in the Masters division - Walnut Hollow Country Awards
Five awards total; one for each of the highest-scoring mounts among birds, fish, turkeys, mammals, and whitetails - Whitetails Unlimited Awards
Three awards total; one for each of the highest-scoring whitetail mounts across the Youth, Amateur, and Professional divisions - The Wildlife Gallery Best Gamehead Award
Highest score among all gamehead entries
Taxidermists' Choice Awards
The following special awards are determined by taxidermists’ votes during the convention weekend.
- McKenzie Bird Award
- McKenzie Fish Award
- McKenzie Mammal Award
- McKenzie Whitetail Award
- UTNY Gamehead Award
- Gunner’s Turkey Award
- UTA Artisan Award
Most artistic entry
UTNY Board and President's Choice
The following special awards are voted on by the UTNY board or selected by the president.
- McKenzie Distinguished Service Award
As voted on by the UTNY board - UTNY Mike Rudzinis Memorial Award
President’s choice - UTNY Dennis Mortenson’s President’s Challenge Award ($10 entry fee)
Fish mount
Product-Based Awards
To be eligible for these special awards, you must note product use at the time of registration.
- LifeTone Award
Judges’ choice from fish painted with LifeTone Hydromist products - PRO-1 Award
Judges’ choice best entry for any mount using PRO-1 hide paste or tan - Polytranspar Award
Judges’ choice for fish painted with Polytranspar paints