Kira Sabin and Kess Fennell are both artists from Minnesota and, thanks to a viral 2021 Tiktok post by Kira, have recently garnered some new attention for the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, an annual art competition that acts both as a massive conservation fundraiser and as the official way to select the next year’s design for waterfowl hunting permits. Though Kira has submitted entries to the competition before, 2023 was the first year they officially made it a family affair by both submitting some amazing waterfowl paintings. We recently spoke with Kira and Kess about their artistic processes, what it’s like preparing for the duck stamp contest, and more. You can watch our entire interview with both of them here. A curated version of that interview, which has been edited for length and clarity, has been included below. How did you learn about the Federal Duck Stamp Contest? Kira: It was immediate for me when I learned about [the Federal Duck Stamp Contest]. I learned about it...