A painting of a duck in flight

St. Paul artist Matt Linz won the 2026 Minnesota waterfowl stamp contest with an oil painting of a bufflehead. Stephen Hamrick of Lakeville earned second place with an acrylic painting of a gadwall. Third place went to Chris Smith of Corcoran with a painting of a wood duck done in oil. The winners were selected on Aug. 28 out of 18 eligible submissions.

The waterfowl stamp can be purchased in combination with a hunting license, or as a collectable, with the winning stamp going on sale in 2026. Funds raised from stamp sales pay for waterfowl research, management and habitat. Visit the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/stamps) for more information about habitat stamps and contest guidelines.