October 18, 2010
Jim Hautman Wins Duck Stamp Contest For Fourth Time
Minnesota artist Jim Hautman has won the 2010 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest for his painting of a pair of white-fronted geese in a marsh beneath gray skies.
Hautman, 46, of Chaska, Minnesota, a Delta member, won the prestigious award, announced Saturday in Berkeley, California, for the fourth time. He also won in 1989, 1994, and 1998.
“I liked the painting a lot when I sent it, and I just feel very fortunate to have won again,” said Hautman. “Usually I send mine in right at the deadline, but this time I gave myself more time; I’d put it away for a while and then pull it out again, which gave me a fresh perspective. I think that probably helped.”
Second place went to Hautman’s brother Bob, 51, of Delano, Minnesota. The brothers were tied for first place after the final round of judging, with Jim winning the tie-breaking vote.
The winning painting will be made into the 2011-12 Federal Duck Stamp, which all migratory bird hunters are required to purchase. The stamp sells for $15 and raises about $25 million each year for wetlands conservation. Since its inception in 1934, the federal duck stamp has generated more than $750 million in sales, securing more than 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat, including as much or more than 2.7 million acres in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR).
“I grew up knowing the duck stamp story thanks to my father,” said Hautman, noting his father purchased his first duck stamp in 1934 for $1. “It’s a very meaningful, important program—hunters purchasing these stamps and the money going directly into habitat for ducks and geese and other birds.”
The 2010 competition drew 235 entries. Jim and Bob Hautman and their brother Joe, 54, of Plymouth, Minnesota, are the only brothers to have won the duck stamp contest.