COLUMBUS, Ohio – Adam Grimm, a native of Elyria, Ohio, and current South Dakota resident, won his third Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest Friday, Sept. 20. His acrylic painting of a pair of spectacled eiders, large ducks known for their brightly colored bills and white spectacle-like eye patches, won from a group of 239 entries.

Grimm first won the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest in 1999 at 21 years of age and is still the youngest person to ever win the prestigious competition. He was a student at the Columbus College of Art and Design at the time.

Grimm has also won the Ohio Wetland Habitat Stamp Contest three times (2005, 2014, and 2021). His artwork is found on the cover of the 2023-24 hunting and trapping regulations (A Forgotten Day to Remember) and the 2003-04 hunting and trapping regulations (Bountiful Heritage).

In addition, Grimm donated some of the artwork featured on the Ohio sportsmen’s vehicle license plate series. A wetland was restored and dedicated in his honor by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife in Erie County.

The Federal Duck Stamp Contest started in 1934, and the Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp Contest began in 1982. Those hunting waterfowl in Ohio are required to purchase both the current Federal Duck Stamp and Ohio Wetland Habitat before hunting. Proceeds from the sales of both stamps are used to acquire, restore, and protect wetland habitat.

Ohio’s 2024 regular waterfowl hunting seasons begin Saturday, Oct. 12, in the Lake Erie Marsh Zone and Saturday, Oct. 19 in the North and South Zones. A summary of the 2024-25 hunting and trapping regulations can be found at wildohio.gov, on the HuntFish OH app, or anywhere licenses are sold.

Submitted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.