Hautman takes top honors in 2021 federal duck stamp art contest

By Charles Snee

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced Sept. 26 that James Hautman of Chaska, Minn., was selected as the winner of the 2021 federal duck stamp art contest that was held online Sept. 24-25. This was the second year the contest was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement was made via livestream at the Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters in Falls Church, Va.

Hautman’s acrylic painting of a pair of redheads floating in water will appear on the duck stamp that is scheduled to be issued sometime in late June 2022, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. This is Hautman’s sixth win in the annual contest.

Of 137 entries submitted to this year’s competition, 14 entries (including Hautman’s) made it to the final round of judging. Eligible species for this year’s duck stamp contest were the greater white-fronted goose, Ross’s goose, blue-winged teal, king eider and redhead.

Robert Hautman of Delano, Minn., placed second with his acrylic painting of Ross’s geese, and Joshua Spies of Sioux Falls, S.D., took third place with his acrylic painting of a flying drake redhead.

The Hautman brothers — James, Joseph and Robert — have collectively won the duck stamp art contest a record 14 times. Robert notched the most recent win; his painting of a pair of mallards in flight appears on the 2018 $25 duck stamp (Scott RW85). The 2017 $25 duck stamp features James’ painting of Canada geese (RW84).

Spies came out on top in the 2008 contest, when his painting of a long-tailed duck and decoy was selected to appear on the 2009 $15 duck stamp (Scott RW76).

Though not valid for postage, duck stamps are popularly collected and listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers under the heading Hunting Permit Stamps.

Since it was established in 1934, sales of the federal duck stamp to hunters, bird watchers, outdoor enthusiasts and collectors have raised more than $1 billion to conserve over 6 million acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife and provide countless opportunities for hunting and other wildlife-oriented recreation on public lands in the United States.

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