OWAA announces winners of 2013 Excellence in Craft contests

Outdoor communicators receive more than $10,000 in awards

MISSOULA, Mont. – The Outdoor Writers Association of America is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Excellence in Craft contests. First-, second- and third-place winners were chosen in nine contests. Entries were from work created in 2012. Cash prizes totaled more than $10,000. Prize money, plaques and certificates will be presented to winners at OWAA’s 86th annual conference, Sept. 14-16, 2013, in Lake Placid, N.Y.

For more information on the annual EIC contests, visit owaa-oldsite.birchbarkmedia.com/eic.

OWAA thanks the 2013 contest sponsors – Crosman Corporation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Realtree and Outdoor Recreation Company of America – for their continued support of this prestigious contest program.

2013 winners are as follows:

TV/Video Contest

Hunting/Shooting Sports Category

Sponsored by Crosman Corporation

1st Place: Dan Small and Mark LaBarbera, “Deer Hunt Wisconsin 2012,” Milwaukee Public Television/Outdoor Wisconsin, Nov. 1, 2012

2nd Place: Grant McOmie, “Taking Aim at Archery,” KGW-TV, Portland, Ore., Aug. 14, 2012

3rd Place: Bill Sherck, “Hells Canyon Heaven,” The Outdoor Channel, June 27, 2012

Fishing Category

1st Place: Bill Sherck, “The Roughfish Roundup,” Minnesota Bound, NBC-KARE 11, April 15, 2012

2nd Place: Grant McOmie, “Downtown Salmon,” KGW-TV, Portland, Ore., Sept. 6, 2012

3rd Place: Grant McOmie, “I-Fish Jennie,” KGW-TV, Portland, Ore., Nov. 24, 2012

Conservation Category

Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts

1st Place: Gary Schafer, “Aldo Leopold,” YouTube.com/AZGFD, May 24, 2012

2nd Place: Karen Loke, “Cooks Branch Conservancy,” YNN (Your News Now) Cable, June 1, 2012

3rd Place: Carol Lynde, “California Condors and Non-Lead Ammo,” ww.azgfd.gov/video, Jan. 23, 2012

Gear/Technical Category

Sponsored by Outdoor Recreation Company of America

1st Place: Bill Sherck, “Rapala: The Legacy,” Due North Outdoors, March 29, 2012

2nd Place: Bill Sherck, “Fish Mobi,” Minnesota Bound, NBC-KARE 11, Nov. 4, 2012

3rd Place: Dave Carlson, “Some Words on Gas,” WQOW, Eau Claire, Wisc., Feb. 13. 2012

Outdoor Fun & Adventure Category

1st Place: Bill Sherck, “One Cold Step at a Time,” Minnesota Bound, NBC-KARE 11, Feb. 5, 2012

2nd Place: Bill Sherck, “Into the Winter Wild,” Due North Outdoors (Fox Sports North/Wisc.), Dec. 20, 2012

3rd Place: Dan Small, “Mounted Justice Rides Again,” Milwaukee Public Television/Outdoor Wisconsin, April 19, 2012

Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category

Sponsored by Realtree

1st Place: Bill Sherck, “Woody’s World,” Minnesota Bound, NBC-KARE 11, March 4, 2012

2nd Place: Kelly Jo McDonnell, “High School Trap Shoot,” NBC-KARE 11, Nov. 18, 2012

3rd Place: Karen Loke, “School of Fishing: Hotsell Fishing Derby,” YNN (Your News Now) Cable, April 8, 2012

Radio/Podcast Contest

Hunting/Shooting Sports Category

Sponsored by Crosman Corporation

1st Place: Jeff Kelm, “Deer Hunting with Charlie Alsheimer,” Outdoors Radio Network, Oct. 27, 2012

2nd Place: John Kruse, “Robert and the Wolf,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio, Sept. 8, 2012

3rd Place: Jeff Kelm, “Judy’s Best Buck,” Outdoors Radio Network, Nov. 17, 2012

Fishing Category

1st Place: Dan Small, “How Technology has Changed Fishing,” Outdoors Radio Network, Feb. 18, 2012

2nd Place: John Kruse, “Seven Gill Shark Fishing,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio, Nov. 17, 2012

3rd Place: Ty Stockton, “Windy Fishing,” Cowboy State News Network, March 23, 2012

Conservation Category

Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts

1st Place: Dan Small, “Stopping the Pebble Mine,” Outdoors Radio Network, April 7, 2012

2nd Place: Dan Small, “Asian Carp Threat to Great Lakes,” Outdoors Radio Network, July 21, 2012

3rd Place: Ty Stockton, “Drought Hunting,” Cowboy State News Network, Sept. 3, 2012

Humor Category

1st Place: Ty Stockton, “Outdoor Training,” Cowboy State News Network, Feb. 16, 2012

2nd Place: Ty Stockton, “Valentines Rabbits,” Cowboy State News Network, Feb. 14, 2012

3rd Place: Jeff Kelm, “Churnin’ Dirt in Richland Center,” Outdoors Radio Network, March 24, 2012

Gear/Technical Category

Sponsored by Outdoor Recreation Company of America

1st Place: Dan Small, “Calling All Game with Wayne Carlton,” Outdoors Radio Network, Feb. 11, 2012

2nd Place: Ty Stockton, “Kids’ Bows,” Cowboy State News Network, June 26, 2012

3rd Place: Dan Small, “Instinctive Shotgun Shooting,” Outdoors Radio Network, July 28, 2012

Outdoor Fun & Adventure Category

1st Place: Ty Stockton, “Bear Aware,” Cowboy State News Network, June 27, 2012

2nd Place: Ty Stockton, “Mountain Biking,” Cowboy State News Network, June 4, 2012

3rd Place: Dan Small, “Lake Michigan Water Trail,” Outdoors Radio Network, Sept. 29, 2012

Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category

Sponsored by Realtree

1st Place: Jeff Kelm, “Passing on the Hunting Tradition,” Outdoors Radio Network, Nov. 10, 2012

2nd Place: Ty Stockton, “Get a Kid a Turkey,” Cowboy State News Network, April 19, 2012

3rd Place: Jeff Kelm, “Tina Murray – Conservation Hero,” Outdoors Radio Network, March 31, 2012

Magazine Contest

Hunting/Shooting Sports Category

Sponsored by Crosman Corporation

1st Place: Michael Furtman, “The Big Freeze,” Ducks Unlimited Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2012

2nd Place: Tim Christie, “A Hard Lesson,” Wyoming Wildlife, November 2012

3rd Place: Pat Wray, “Rocks,” Game and Fish Magazines, February 2012

Fishing Category

1st Place: Tom Watson, “In the Wake of Ancient Fishermen,” Fish Alaska Magazine, February 2012

2nd Place: Mike Zlotnicki, “Rigs of Distintion,” Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine, March/April 2012

3rd Place: Gary Moore, “April Means Pussy Willows, Peepers, Gobblers and Fishing,” The Outdoor Gazette, April 2012

Conservation Category

Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts

1st Place: Tom Keer, “Open Water Catch and Keep?,” The Flyfish Journal, Spring 2012

2nd Place: Pat Wray, “The Dangers of What We Know,” Game and Fish Magazines, May 2012

3rd Place: Mike Zlotnicki, “Cure for the Cape Fear,” Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2012

Humor Category

1st Place: Bruce Cochran, “Duck Math,” Delta Waterfowl magazine, Summer 2012

2nd Place: Mike Strandlund, “Death Comes A-Oinkin’,” Bowhunting World Magazine, May 2012

3rd Place: Shane Townsend, “The secret message behind baby turtle lures,” MatadorGoods, Jan. 19, 2012

Gear/Technical Category

Sponsored by Outdoor Recreation Company of America

1st Place: Tom Watson, “Fishing from a Traditional Kayak,”, Paddling.net, June 2012

2nd Place: Mark Herwig, “Online Gun Tech,” Pheasants Forever Journal, Fall 2012

3rd Place: Pat Wray, “The Truth About Outdoor Survival,” Game and Fish Magazines, October 2012

Outdoor Fun & Adventure Category

1st Place: Ann Hirsch, “Getting Off the Grid,” Arizona Wildlife Views, Sept./Oct. 2012

2nd Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Finding Kishenehn,” Montana Headwall, Fall 2012

3rd Place: Tom Watson, “Paddling for Birds on the Mississippi,” Big River Magazine, March/April 2012

Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category

Sponsored by Realtree

1st Place: Chris Madson, “Signing On,” Wyoming Wildlife, September 2012

2nd Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Beyond the Summit,” Montana Headwall, Winter 2012

3rd Place: Lisa Densmore, “Fishing, A Family Affair,” Colorado Outdoors, July/August 2012

Newspaper Contest

Hunting/Shooting Sports Category

Sponsored by Crosman Corporation

1st Place: Christine Peterson, “Letting Go,” Casper Star-Tribune, Nov. 22, 2012

2nd Place: Brent Frazee, “Young at Heart,” Kansas City Star, Oct. 28, 2012

3rd Place: Brent Frazee, “Friendship began with man’s quest for turkeys,” Kansas City Star, Nov. 30, 2012

Honorable Mention: Pat Wray, “A Family Tradition of Shooting,” Corvallis Gazette-Times, Aug. 19, 2012

Honorable Mention: Bob Whitehead, “A Profile in Courage,” St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune, Oct. 11-17, 2012

Honorable Mention: Steve Griffin, “Outside the comfort zone,” Michigan Outdoor News, Aug. 3, 2012

Fishing Category

1st Place: Pat Wray, “Shad Fishing on the Columbia River,” Corvallis Gazette-Times, June 7, 2012

2nd Place: Terry Brady, “After Sandy, reach out to help those in need,” Pennsylvania Outdoor News, Nov. 23, 2012

3rd Place: Brent Frazee, “Dissecting bass behavior,” Kansas City Star, March 18, 2012

Conservation Category

Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts

1st Place: David Hendee, “Counting Sheep,” Omaha World-Herald, Feb. 9-12, 2012

2nd Place: David Hendee, “’Their cranes are our cranes’,” Omaha World-Herald, Sept. 30, 2012

3rd Place: Paul Smith, “Swan Project Success is Trumpeted,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 25, 2012

Humor Category

1st Place: Marty Basch, “Sharing the Road,” Concord Monitor, May 20, 2012

2nd Place: Mark Freeman, “The Birthday Toast,” Medford (Ore.) Mail Tribune, May 11, 2012

3rd Place: Pat Wray, “Shad Fishing on the Columbia River,” Corvallis Gazette-Times, June 7, 2012

Gear/Technical Category

Sponsored by Outdoor Recreation Company of America

1st Place: Jill Adler, “Lids on Kids,” SnoCountry.com, TheSkiChannel.com, Snowlist.com, November 2012

2nd Place: Brett Prettyman, “Buying a sleeping bag? Rest easy, we’ve got you covered,” Salt Lake Tribune, April 29, 2012

3rd Place: Brett Prettyman, “Best Gear 2012,” Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 7, 2012

Outdoor Fun & Adventure Category

1st Place: Tom Stienstra, “Paralyzed athlete Grant Korgan achieves polar goal,” San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 29, 2012

2nd Place: Tom Stienstra, “Northern Yosemite offers true solitude,” San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 7, 2012

3rd Place: Peter Schroeder, “Ski Your Heart Out,” Journal Newspapers, Feb. 7, 2012

Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category

Sponsored by Realtree

1st Place: Brett Prettyman, “Art contest win is teen’s tribute to late brother,” Salt Lake Tribune, May 14, 2012

2nd Place: Brent Frazee, “Memories of Dad,” Kansas City Star, June 17, 2012

3rd Place: Mike Lynch, “A Life Lesson on the Water,” Adirondack Daily Enterprise, July 28, 2012

Blog Contest

Hunting/Shooting Sports Category

Sponsored by Crosman Corporation

1st Place: Robert Ford, “Riding Shotgun,” Blackwelders Outfitter Journal, September 2012

2nd Place: Mark Herwig, “Top 5 Pheasant Dog Owner Mistakes,” Pheasants Forever Blog, May 22, 2012

3rd Place: Tom Keer, “National Fishing and Hunting Day: The Cast and Blast,” TakeMeFishing.org, Sept. 27, 2012

Conservation Category

Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts

1st Place: Hal Herring, “Special Report: How I’m Helping to Save the Whitebark Pine, one seed at a time,” FieldandStream.com/blogs/conservationist, Oct. 18, 2012

2nd Place: Matt Miller, “Bison Bellows & Bones: Student-Scientists on the Prairie,” Cool Green Science Blog, Jan. 11, 2012

3rd Place: Hal Herring, “Let it Flood: How we can create fishing and hunting paradise, lower the deficit and clean the waters all at once,” FieldandStream.com/blogs/conservationist, June 14, 2012

Humor Category

1st Place: Robert Ford, “Chillin,” Blackwelders Outfitter Journal, November 2012

2nd Place: Robert Ford, “Naughty and Nice,” Blackwelders Outfitter Journal, December 2012

3rd Place: Tom Keer, “Yes We Have No Bananas,” TakeMeFishing.org, Aug. 27, 2012

Outdoor Fun & Adventure Category

1st Place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “The Spirit of Christmas,” You Can Sleep When You’re Dead Blog, Dec. 13, 2012

2nd Place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “Don’t Let Intelligence Get in Your Way: Visiting Death Valley in Summer,” You Can Sleep When You’re Dead Blog, Sept. 13, 2012

3rd Place: Aaron Teasdale, “The Great Canadian Ski Roadtrip,” National Geographic Adventure, March 2012

Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category

Sponsored by Realtree

1st Place: David Barus, “Stamina Kids Enjoy Bison City “Teach-Me-To-Fish”,” Erie County Federation of Sportsmen communication website, April 29, 2012

2nd Place: Matt Miller, “Get Kids Outside: Tracking,” Cool Green Science Blog, Jan. 11, 2012

3rd Place: Mike McKenna, “Introducing Young Shredders to Skiing,” The Valley Sun at blog.sunvalley.com, Jan. 3, 2012

Column Contest

1st Place: Chris Madson, The Land Ethic, Wyoming Wildlife

2nd Place: Marty Basch, Outdoor Adventures, Concord Monitor

3rd Place: Pat Wray, Outdoors Commentary, Corvallis Gazette-Times

Book Contest

General Audience

1st Place: Chip Gross, “Poachers Were My Prey”

2nd Place: Dave Carlson, “A Fish Gift and Sketches from Northland Adventures”

3rd Place: Angelo Peluso, “Saltwater Flies of the Southeast Gulf Coast”

Illustration/Graphic Contest

Outdoor Humor Category

1st Place: Bruce Cochran, “Marsh Madness: He’s no longer breathing,” Waterfowl Magazine, August 2012

2nd Place: Bruce Cochran, “Marsh Madness: Mallards in a bar,” Waterfowl Magazine, December 2012

3rd Place: Sam Caldwell, “Santa gets an outdoor gift from crew,” Currents Newsletter, Dec. 1, 2012

Photography Contest

Action Category

1st Place: Noppadol Paothong, “Spring Battle,” Save the Last Dance (book), August 2012

2nd Place: Noppadol Paothong, “Snow Dancer,” Save the Last Dance (book), August 2012

3rd Place: Timothy Flanigan, “Splashing Redhead,” Pennsylvania State Farm Show, January 2012

People Category

1st Place: Lisa Densmore, “Hunter with Horse,” Colorado Outdoors, Sept./Oct. 2012

2nd Place: Paul Queneau, “Bugling at Sunrise,” MakeItMissoula.com, January 2012

3rd Place: James Smedley, “Algonquin Guide,” Ontario Out of Doors Magazine, March 2012

Scenic Category

1st Place: James Smedley, “Thunderhouse Falls Missinaibi River,” Oudoor Ontario Facebook Page, August 2012

2nd Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Kananaskis Moose Meadow,” Adventure Cyclist, August 2012

3rd Place: Tom Ulrich, “Old Grist Mill,” TomUlrichPhotos.com

Flora Category

1st Place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “Rhodies and Redwoods, Redwoods National Park,” Portfolio, Visual Magazine (Mexico), July 2012

2nd Place: Betty Wills, “Cactus Moon,” BettyWills.com

3rd Place: Paul Queneau, “Sentinel Wildflowers,” MakeItMissoula.com, January 2012

Fauna Category

1st Place: Timothy Flanigan, “Licking Stick,” Quality Whitetails magazine, Oct./Nov. 2012

2nd Place: Tim Christie, “Troubling Tumbleweed,” Wyoming Wildlife, November 2012

3rd Place: Michael Furtman, “Bite Me – Fox Kits,” Minnesota Conservation Volunteer Magazine, Jan./Feb. 2012

Outdoor Fun & Adventure Category

1st Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Great Bear Rainforest Misty Paddle,” Standup Paddle Magazine, Fall 2012

2nd Place: Aaron Teasdale, “British Columbia Flathead Sunset,” Adventure Cyclist, August 2012

3rd Place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “Reflections at Moraine Lake, Banff National Park,” 2012 Through Each Others Eyes (TEOE) & IRIS Arizona-Alberta Exchange Exhibition at Art Intersection Gallery in Gilbert, Ariz., Oct. 30, 2012

Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category

Sponsored by Realtree

1st Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Rainy Morn Tent Pole Fisheye,” Adventure Cyclist, August 2012

2nd Place: Tim Christie, “A Father Son Moment,” Colorado Outdoors Magazine, May/June 2012

3rd Place: James Smedley, “Mother and Daughter Hike,” The Sault Star, February 2012

Congratulations to our 2013 winners and thank you to everyone who submitted entries to this year’s contests. The 2014 contests will open in October 2013.

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OWAA is The Voice of the Outdoors®. The Outdoor Writers Association of America is the oldest and largest association of professional outdoor communicators in the United States. It was organized in 1927 by members of the Izaak Walton League of America and includes professional communicators dedicated to sharing the outdoor experience. OWAA’s professionals include writers, photographers, outdoors radio- and television-show hosts, book authors, videographers, lecturers and artists. The association is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For more information, contact Outdoor Writers Association of America, 615 Oak St., Ste. 201, Missoula, Mont. 59801; 406-728-7434; http://www.owaa-oldsite.birchbarkmedia.com.