Outdoor Writers Association of America awarded nearly $14,000 in prize money for work created in 2017. First, second and third place winners in ten contests received prize money, plaques and certificates on June 3 at OWAA’s 91st annual conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
For more information on the annual EIC contests, visit https://owaa.submittable.com/.
OWAA thanks the 2018 contest sponsors – Izaak Walton League of America, Ocean Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Realtree – for their continued support of this prestigious contest program.
2018 winners are as follows:
Television/Video/Webcast Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First place: Dan Bertalan, “The Ottaway – A River Reborn,” WCMU Public Television
- Second place: Karen Loke, “Harris Ranch – 2017 Lone Star Land Steward,” Texas Parks & Wildlife PBS show
- Third place: Dan Small, “Aldo Leopold Legacy Center Tour,” Outdoor Wisconsin/Milwaukee PBS
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First place: Bill Sherck, “Growing Up Too Fast,” Minnesota Bound, KARE-11
- Second place: Scott Fransen, “The Flush: Hank’s First Hunt,” Outdoor Channel
- Third place: Grant McOmie, “Fish Eggs to Fry,” KGW-TV
Fishing Category
Sponsored by Ocean Conservancy
- First place: Bill Sherck, “Operation Fishing Freedom: Darrell Krenz,” Fox Sports North
- Second place: Bill Sherck, “Rowan Lake Traditions,” Minnesota Bound KARE-11
- Third place: Eric Andersen, “Operation Fishing Freedom: Rich Verdone – Veteran and Survivor,” Sportsman Channel
Gear/Technical Category
- First place: Bill Sherck, “Atikokan’s XY,” Fox Sports North
- Second place: Kris Millgate, “Charging Grizzly,” Gear Junkie
- Third place: Jeff Kelm, “Randy Mayes Taxidermy,” Outdoor Wisconsin/Milwaukee PBS
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
- First place: Bill Sherck, “Fuller’s Michigan Grouse,” Outdoor Channel
- Second place: Eric Andersen, “The Flush: Ontario Grouse Adventure (part 2),” Outdoor Channel
- Third place: Scott Fransen, “The Flush: Hank’s First Hunt,” Outdoor Channel
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
Sponsored by Izaak Walton League of America
- First place: Bill Sherck, “Snowy Dreamers,” Minnesota Bound, KARE-11
- Second place: Eric Andersen, “Destination Polaris: Bend, Oregon,” FOX Sports
- Third place: Brian Jennings, “Rim Butte OHV Jeep Trails,” Central Oregon Daily, KOHD/KBNZ
Radio/Podcast Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First place: John Kruse, “What’s Causing Elk Hoof Rot?,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio
- Second place: Dan Small, “Saving the Monarchs,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
- Third place: Nicky Ouellet, “SubSurface, Episode 4: Active Resistance,” Montana Public Radio
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First place: Dan Small, “United Special Sportsman Alliance with Brigid O’Donoghue,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio WRJC FM
- Second place: Jeff Kelm, “Growin’ Up Wild,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
- Third place: Dan Small, “Ultimate Animal Adventures with Ken Keffer,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
Fishing Category
Sponsored by Ocean Conservancy
- First place: John Kruse, “Fly fishing in the North Cascades with Stehekin Fishing Adventures,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio
- Second place: Dan Small, “Cat & Mouse Muskies with Jeff Andersen,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
- Third place: Dan Small, “Pike Spearing with Joe Shead,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio WRJC FM
Gear/Technical Category
- First place: Dan Small, “Deer Nutrition with John O’Brion,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
- Second place: John Kruse, “Savage Gear Lures – Ducks, Bats and ??,” American Outdoors Radio
- Third place: Dan Small, “Floe Trailers,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
Humor Category
- First place: Dan Small, “If I Were a Beaver,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
- Second place: Tom Stienstra, “Things Really Do Go Bump in the Night,” KCBS-75 San Francisco
- Third place: John Kruse, “The Misadventures of Bill Heavey,” American Outdoors Radio
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
- First place: Dan Small, “Eva Shockey: The Hunting Lifestyle,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
Second place: Hal Herring, “Hannah Jean Nikonow and Liza Sautter,” BHA Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring - Third place: Nicky Ouellet, “Antler Hunters, Artists Turn Elk Shed Into Money And Art,” Montana Public Radio
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
Sponsored by Izaak Walton League of America
- First place: Nicky Ouellet, “Night Cyclists Swap Sun for Moon in Glacier Park,” Montana Public Radio
- Second place: John Kruse, “Five Volcanoes in Five Days,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio
- Third place: Dan Small, “Surviving Irma,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio, WRJC FM
Magazine/E-zine Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First place: Johnny Sain, “The gar hole,” Hatch Magazine
- Second place: Amy Grisak, “The Wonder Below,” Montana Magazine
- Third place: Nate Schweber, “Incentivizing Conservation in Montana,” ExplorePartsUnknown.com
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First place: Lisa Ballard, “River Rats,” Outdoor America
- Second place: Lisa Ballard, “Tots on the Trail,” Image Magazine
- Third place: Chris Batin, “Love, Alaska Style,” Alaska Sporting Journal
Fishing Category
Sponsored by Ocean Conservancy
- First place: Chris Madson, “Chasing Rainbows,” Wyoming Wildlife
- Second place: Tom Tatum, “Bittersweet Brown Trout,” Pennsylvania Angler & Boater
- Third place: Tom Hazelton, “On Killing Trout,” Hatch Magazine
Gear/Technical Category
- First place: Lisa Ballard, “Emergency in the Mountains,” Colorado Outdoors
- Second place: Brent Frazee, “Rappin’ winter bass,” FLW Bass Magazine
- Third place: Lowell Strauss, “Sound Advice,” Canadian Firearms Journal
Humor Category
- First place: Pat Wray, “Hanging on My Every Word…and Other Myths,” Rocky Mountain Game and Fish magazine
- Second place: Robert Ford, “Rubber Boots,” The American Beagler
- Third place: Bruce Cochran, “The Agony of De Feet,” Wildfowl magazine
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
- First place: Chris Madson, “The Last Day,” Pheasants Forever Journal
- Second place: Chris Batin, “Driven by the ‘Goat on the Mountain’,” Alaska Sporting Journal
- Third place: Tyler Frantz, “Brotherly Love and the Boss Tom of Birds Hill,” Pennsylvania Game News
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
Sponsored by Izaak Walton League of America
- First place: Pat Wray, “Triumph of Primitivity,” Washington-Oregon Game & Fish magazine
- Second place: Lisa Ballard, “On Crane with Wayne,” Adirondack Explorer
- Third place: Pat Wray, “Privacy on a Family Camping Trip,” Washington-Oregon Game and Fish magazine
Newspaper/News Website Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First place: David Hendee, “A Nose to the Ground,” Omaha World-Herald
- Second place: Erin Alberty, “Utah’s Pando aspen grove is the most massive living thing known on Earth. It may die soon.,” The Salt Lake Tribune
- Third place: Lew Freedman, “Fighting to save cutthroats,” Cody Enterprise
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First place: David Sikes, “Mask could not hide his ducky grin,” Caller-Times
- Second place: David Sikes, “Nature of being a dad,” Caller-Times
- Third place: Erin Alberty, “Hike to a cold, dark place part of the journey for teens in Utah youth program,” The Salt Lake Tribune
Fishing Category
Sponsored by Ocean Conservancy
- First place: Dan Small, “Adrift in the Driftless: Trout Wars in an Angling Paradise,” Wisconsin Outdoor News
- Second place: Ben Moyer, “Laurel Highlands a likely place to encounter state symbols,” Herald-Standard
- Third place: Erin Alberty, “When even the most prepared angler must consider, ‘That’s why they call it fishing and not catching’,” The Salt Lake Tribune
Gear/Technical Category
- First place: Marc Folco, “Are deer toys a waste of money or useful gadgets?,” SouthCoastToday
- Second place: Tom Keer, “Four of a Kind,” Sporting Classics Daily
- Third place: Marc Folco, “Al’s Goldfish resurfacing after nearly going belly up,” SouthCoastToday
Humor Category
- First place: Erin Alberty, “I actually liked my ski fitness class, and now I’m having an identity crisis,” The Salt Lake Tribune
- Second place: Erin Alberty, “To survive the ‘divorce boat’ in Class III whitewater, yell more,” The Salt Lake Tribune
- Third place: Marc Folco, “Recalling a time when kids were kids and toys were dangerous,” SouthCoastToday
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
- First place: Tom Keer, “Life’s too short to hunt with an ugly gun,” Sporting Classics Daily
- Second place: Christine Peterson, “Thousands of hunters descend on an expanse of remote Wyoming land — and one game warden monitors it all,” Casper Star Tribune
- Third place: Tom Stienstra, “A world apart on the Butte Sink marsh,” San Francisco Chronicle
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
Sponsored by Izaak Walton League of America
- First place: Erin Alberty, “Unlikely survivors: What a violent avalanche says about risk in the backcountry,” The Salt Lake Tribune
- Second place: Bob Frye, “A pathway to adventure,” Tribune-Review
- Third place: Erin Alberty, “Staying safe within reach of adventure’s prize,” The Salt Lake Tribune
Blog Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First place: Christine Peterson, “Five Endangered Species Recoveries You’ve Never Heard Of,” Cool Green Science blog
- Second place: Mark Taylor, “Lessons from the Tinker Creek Fish Kill,” Trout Unlimited blog
- Third place: Justine Hausheer, “Bioacoustics Reveal How Biodiversity Changes Across Borneo’s Logged Forests,” Cool Green Science blog
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First place: Ken Keffer, “A Parent’s Guide to What Kids Love and Hate about Hiking,” Osprey Stories
- Second place: Chris Hunt, “The Girl Who Walks in Water,” Trout Unlimited blog
- Third place: Matthew Miller, “A Field Guide to Tracking in Your Neighborhood,” Cool Green Science blog
Fishing Category
Sponsored by Ocean Conservancy
- First place: Chris Hunt, “Ode to the Fishing Rig,” Trout Unlimited blog
- Second place: Matthew Miller, “Gar Wars: A Fish Force Awakens,” Cool Green Science blog
- Third place: David Van Wie, “My Homerian Odyssey,” Watchyourbackcast.com
Gear/Technical Category
- First place: Sandra Friend, “Backpacker tips for hurricane prep,” Floridahikes.com
- Second place: Chris Hunt, “Four-quarter fly fishing,” Trout Unlimited blog
- Third place: Jodi Stemler, “Clay Shooting Tips for Women,” Range365.com
Humor Category
- First place: Chris Hunt, “Dementors,” Trout Unlimited blog
- Second place: Justine Hausheer, “Tongue Orchids & Corpseflowers: 7 Insanely Weird Plant Species,” Cool Green Science blog
- Third place: Justine Hausheer, “Fantastic Fecal Phenomena of the Animal World,” Cool Green Science blog
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
- First place: Brent Frazee, “Kansas Landowner Dies, but his Legacy Will Live On,” Brentfrazee.com
- Second place: Tyler Frantz, “5 Ways to Kill Your Deer Hunt,” Bowhunting.com
- Third place: Robert Ford, “Halloween,” Lion Country Supply blog
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
Sponsored by Izaak Walton League of America
- First place: Chris Hunt, “Old Blue,” Trout Unlimited blog
- Second place: Justine Hausheer, “Wide Horizons: A Journey Across Martu Country,” Cool Green Science blog
- Third place: Candice Gaukel Andrews, “Learning from Libby Lightning in Yosemite National Park,” The Adventure Collection blog
Column Contest
Overall Category
- First place: Amy Bulger, Wyoming Wildlife
- Second place: Tom Keer, Sporting Classics
- Third place: Andy Whitcomb, Kayak Angler
Book/E-book Contest
General Audience Category
- First place: Amy & Dave Freeman, “A Year in the Wilderness”
- Second place: Lisa Ballard, “Hiking the Adirondacks”
- Third place: Lisa Ballard, “Ski Faster!”
Youth Audience Category
- First place: Ellen Horowitz, “What I Saw in Glacier”
- Second place: Ken Keffer, “The Kids’ Ultimate Animal Adventure Book”
- Third place: Lew Freedman, “All About Sir Edmund Hillary”
Illustration/Graphic Contest
General/Overall Category
- First place: Bruce Cochran, “The Book of Mud,” American Waterfowler magazine
- Second place: Sam Caldwell, “Oyster Reef Bullies,” Currents newsletter
- Third place: Sam Caldwell, “Search for Rainbows,” Currents newsletter
Photography Contest
Action Category
- First place: Keith Crowley, “Cheetah Chase,” Daily Mail
- Second place: Ann & Rob Simpson, “Hummingbird at Monarda,” Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway (book)
- Third place: Ken Dunwoody, “Lunch On The Fly: Bee-Eaters & Moth,” charity auction donation
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First place: Gary Kramer, “Young Lady Hunting Ducks,” Shooting Sportsman
- Second place: Lisa Ballard, “Backpacking Kids,” Hiking the Adirondacks (book)
- Third place: Erin Alberty, “Ascending the throne in Crystal Ball Cave,” The Salt Lake Tribune
Fauna Category
- First place: Ken Dunwoody, “Stashing Her Prize: Leopard & Waterbuck,” charity auction donation
- Second place: Keith Crowley, “Back Home Loons,” Our Wisconsin Magazine
- Third place: Jeff Moore, “Woody Perch,” Ducks Unlimited magazine
Flora Category
- First place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “Ahead of the Rest,” private sale
- Second place: Tom Stienstra, “Starflower Meadow,” San Francisco Chronicle
- Third place: Ann & Rob Simpson, “Turks Cap Lily,” Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway (book)
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
Sponsored by Izaak Walton League of America
- First place: Tom Stienstra, “A world apart on the marsh,” San Francisco Chronicle
- Second place: James Smedley, “Ice cave,” Sault College Viewbook
- Third place: Dawn LaPointe, “Paddling to Sunrise,” Lake Superior Magazine
People Category
- First place: James Smedley, “Family paddle,” Northern Ontario Travel
- Second place: James Smedley, “Gord,” Algoma Country tourism website
- Third place: Erin Alberty, “Darren Nelson rides toward Pando,” The Salt Lake Tribune
Scenic Category
- First place: Chad Shmukler, “Deep and Green,” Hatch magazine
- Second place: Keith Crowley, “Gros Ventre Autumn,” Hawke Life
- Third place: Dawn LaPointe, “Fall Wilderness Treasures,” Boundary Waters Journal
Photography Essay Contest
Overall Category
- First place: Joshua Duplechian, “River Resurgent,” Trout magazine
- Second place: Jess McGlothlin, “Hopefully, My Photos Will Make You Want to Go Visit Samoa Right Now,” The Inertia
- Third place: Earl Harper, “Greenland Rising,” Hatch Magazine
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