For years, Washington has held the honor of hosting the North Carolina Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Competition. Bringing in gorgeous works of art from all across the country, the competition determines which work of art will grace the state’s Waterfowl Conservation Stamp for the coming year, and the 2020 results are in.

This year’s contest brought in 36 entries from 20 states, with eight coming from North Carolina. Men painted 28 entries and women painted eight, each depicting one of five species of bird laid out in the contest rules. This year’s species were bufflehead duck (11 entries), blue winged teal (10 entries), tundra swan (9 entries), ruddy duck (four entries) and lesser scaup (two entries).

Winners of this year’s contest were:

• First place — Adam Grimm, South Dakota — tundra swan
• Second place — Scot Storm, Minnesota — blue winged teal
• Third place — Buck Spencer, Oregon — tundra swan
• Fourth place — Richard Clifton, Delaware — lesser scaup
• Fifth place — John Brennan, Florida — lesser scaup

As first place winner, Grimm will receive a $7,000 cash prize and have his work featured on the N.C. Waterfowl conservation stamp.

Judges for the 2020 competition were Mike Lubbock, of Sylvan Heights Bird Park, Kyle Dixon, of the North Carolina Wildlife Artist Society, Betsy Kane, a Washington City Council member and avid birder, Chris Toppings, of the Eastern North Carolina Delta Waterfowl Chapter and Ivie Elliott an expert wildfowl decoy carver. The winners will be on display at this weekend’s Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival at the Turnage Theatre.