Jeffrey Klinefelter’s persistence and talent finally paid off when it came to the annual North Carolina duck-stamp competition.

Klinefelter’s painting of a northern shoveler was unveiled as the winner of the 2013 competition during the opening reception for the 18th-annual East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships on Friday night.

“My reaction was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe it when she called me and told me I had won,” Klinefelter, of Etna Green, Ind., said about being informed he won the competition. “I was kind of flabbergasted that I had won the contest after entering so many times. It’s just amazing to me to be able to win.”

Klinefelter said winning the North Carolina competition isn’t easy because it brings in some of the best waterfowl artwork in the nation.

“I can’t say. Judges have their won personal preferences. I don’t know,” Klinefelter said when asked why he believes his entry won.

Klinefelter’s blue-ribbon finish kept Richard Clifton, of Milford, Del., from winning the competition for the third year in a row. Clifton finished second this year. Tom Crain of Branson, Mo., took third place. Raleigh’s J.P. Edwards claimed fourth place, with Jennifer Miller of Olean, N.Y. taking fifth place.

For taking first place in the contest, Klinefelter received $7,000 in prize money and a $300 travel allowance to help him attend the festival.

Selected entries from this year’s competition will be displayed at the Civic Center until the festival ends today.

Revenue from sales of duck-stamp prints and stamps go to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Waterfowl Fund, which provides money for the conservation of waterfowl habitat in North Carolina. The fund has raised more than $4.2 million since its inception.

“The money is used to help North Carolina meet its financial obligations in implementing the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the international agreement helping restore waterfowl populations throughout the continent. In addition, funds have been used to support waterfowl research and to buy equipment used to manage wetlands,” according to the commission’s website.