A 15-year-old from Virginia won the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest with an acrylic painting of a hooded merganser.

Mila Linyue Tong’s design of the hooded merganser, will be the 2023-24 Junior Duck Stamp design, according to an April 21 news release. The initiative "raises funds to educate and engage our nation's youth in wildlife and wetlands conservation and outdoor recreation."

“This is one my favorite events every year,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in the release. “I’m honored to announce the winners of this prestigious contest that is actually the culmination of thousands of students exploring their natural world through science, art and writing, sharing their gift with others and nurturing a lifelong love of nature and the outdoors.”

Any student from Kindergarten through 12th grade who attends public, private or homeschool in the U.S. and the U.S. territories are eligible to enter, except for those who won in the previous year, according to the contest information. In addition to the art contest, there is also a messaging contest for youths who express themselves more easily through the written word.

The second-place winner is Arianna Sun, 14, of Georgia, for her depiction of a cinnamon teal, the release reported. Emily Lian, 16, of Oregon, won third place for her oil painting of a pair of mallards. Grace Cao, 13, of Texas, won the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Message Contest with the message “Never duck the chance of conservation."

The Junior Duck Stamps, sold for $5 each, raise money for the program’s conservation education goals and winners of state or national competitions. The 31st in a series, the Junior Duck Stamp will go on sale June 23, according to the contest information.

The FWS website noted the stamp has "become a much sought after collector's item."