OWAA Announces Winners of 2014 Excellence in Craft Contests
OutdoorHub 06.04.14
The Outdoor Writers Association of America is pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 Excellence in Craft Contests. First-, second- and third-place winners were chosen in 10 contests. Entries were from work created in 2013. Cash prizes totaled more than $11,000. Prize money, plaques and certificates were presented to winners at OWAA’s 87th annual conference, May 23-25, 2014, in McAllen, Texas.
For more information on the annual EIC contests, visit owaa.org/eic.
OWAA thanks the 2014 contest sponsors – National Rifle Association, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Realtree – for their continued support of this prestigious contest program.
2014 winners are as follows:
Television/Video/Webcast Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First Place: Ben Avechuco, “Quagga mussel invasion,” www.azgfd.gov/video, Oct. 1, 2013
- Second Place: Dave Carlson, “Sage advice,” WQOV-TV 18, Nov. 18, 2013
- Third Place: David Majure, “Protecting Grand Canyon’s endangered humpback chub,” www.azgfd.gov/video, Sept. 13, 2013
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First Place: Grant McOmie, “The salmon and the grandkids,” KGW-TV (Portland, Ore.), Oct. 26, 2013
- Second Place: Dan Small, “New vision wilderness,” Milwaukee Public Television / Outdoor Wisconsin, Jan. 31, 2013
- Third Place: David Majure and Carol Lynde , “2013 Junior Jack Kamp,” www.azgfd.gov, May 29, 2013
Fishing Category
- First Place: David Majure, “The healing waters at silver creek,” www.azgfd.gov, Oct. 28, 2013
- Second Place: Grant McOmie, “Paddling for clamming,” KGW-TV (Portland, Ore.), April 3, 2013
- Third Place: Bill Sherck, “Oh Saskatchewan!,” Due North Outdoors, Dec. 24, 2013
Gear/Technical Category
- First Place: Bill Sherck, “30 millionth!,” Minnesota Bound (KARE 11), Nov. 24, 2013
- Second Place: Bill Sherck, “Northland impulse,” Due North Outdoors, Dec. 12, 2013
- Third Place: Tom Keer, “How to tie a surgeon’s knot,” TakeMeFishing.org, Aug. 28, 2013
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
Sponsored by the National Rifle Association
- First Place: Bill Sherck, “The flush,” Outdoor Channel, July 4, 2013
- Second Place: David Majure, “Winter range,” www.azgfd.gov, April 26, 2013
- Third Place: Bill Sherck, “Bird up! In Aberdeen,” Outdoor Channel, Sept. 19, 2013
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
- First Place: Lisa Densmore, “Passion for snow,” Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Dec. 19, 2013
- Second Place: Brett Prettyman, “The Utah bucket list,” KUED – Salt Lake City PBS affiliate, Aug. 1, 2013
- Third Place: Dan Small, “New vision wilderness,” Milwaukee Public Television / Outdoor Wisconsin, Jan. 31, 2013
Radio/Podcast Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First Place: Dan Small, “Operation migration,” Outdoors Radio Network – WHBL, June 15, 2013
- Second Place: John Kruse, “Everything I don’t know about great horned owls,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio Network, June 1, 2013
- Third Place: Ed Kanze, “Little drummer boy,” Mountain Lake PBS website, Dec. 24, 2013
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First Place: Dan Small, “Youth turkey calling champ,” Outdoor Radio Network – WHBL, April 13, 2013
- Second Place: Dan Small, “Scholastic pistol program,” Outdoor Radio Network – WHBL, Aug. 3, 2013
- Third Place: Jeff Kelm, “Millisecond Molly,” Outdoor Radio Network – WHBL, Sept. 14, 2013
Fishing Category
- First Place: John Kruse, “Columbia River salmonfishing,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio Network, Sept. 28, 2013
- Second Place: Jeff Kelm, “Lucy Millsap: Okie noodling champ,” Outdoors Radio Network – WHBL, July 6, 2013
- Third Place: Ty Stockton, “A hairy problem,” Cowboy State News Network, Aug. 13, 2013
Gear/Technical Category
- First Place: Ty Stockton, “Reducing recoil,” Cowboy State News Network, Nov. 20, 2013
- Second Place: Dan Small, “Video your valuables,” Outdoors Radio Network – WHBL, Feb. 23, 2013
- Third Place: Charlie Burchfield, “Common sense gun care,” WCED AM/FM, Dec. 30, 2013
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
Sponsored by the National Rifle Association
- First Place: Dan Small, “Colten Bonk: Safari intern”
- Second Place: John Kruse, “Field hunting 201,” Northwestern Outdoors Radio Network, Dec. 14, 2013
- Third Place: Ty Stockton, “A not unsuccessful hunt,” Cowboy State News Network, Jan. 29, 2013
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
- First Place: Dan Small, “Iditarod twins,” Outdoor Radio Network – WHBL, March 2, 2013
- Second Place: Charlie Burchfield, “Adventures on Hawk Mountain,” WCED AM/FM, Dec. 23, 2013
- Third Place: Tom Stienstra, “Horseback riding the right way,” KCBS-74 (San Francisco), Feb. 2, 2013
Magazine/E-zine Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First Place: Michael Kallok, “The case for copper,” Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine, September 2013
- Second Place: Bill Vanderford, “Cumberland Is Georgia’s most special island,” Lakeside magazine, July 2013
- Third Place: Stephen Zakur, “The salvation of stoneflies,” The Drake, Spring 2013
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First Place: James Smedley, “Next generation fishing,” Canoeroots magazine, Early summer 2013
- Second Place: Tom Keer, “Class in session,” USA Today, Summer 2013
- Third Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Runaway train,” Bike magazine, Dec. 1, 2013
Fishing Category
- First Place: Angelo Peluso, “Feed ’em feathers,” On The Water magazine, January 2013
- Second Place: Angelo Peluso, “Match the catch,” On The Water magazine, August 2013
- Third Place: Drew Chicone, “Spoon fed,” Fly Fishing In Salt Waters Magazine, September 2013
Gear/Technical Category
- First Place: Tom Keer, “Drop ’em a dropper rig,” Kayak Angler, Summer/Fall 2013
- Second Place: Tom Keer, “Easy kayak anchor,” Kayak Angler, Early Summer 2013
- Third Place: Michael Zlotnicki, “Not a flash in the pan,” Wildlife in North Carolina, November/December 2013
Humor Category
- First Place: Robert Ford, “Old dogs,” Hounds and Hunting, February 2013
- Second Place: David Brown, “Mavericks’ big wave surfing safety crew,” MavericksInvitational.com, Oct. 7, 2013
- Third Place: Tom Keer, “The forbidden fruit,” Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, July 2013
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
Sponsored by the National Rifle Association
- First Place: Michael Kallok, “A careful walk in the woods,” Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine, November 2013
- Second Place: Larry Stone, “If Guns Could Talk,” Outdoor Guide, February/March 2013
- Third Place: Pat Wray, “A bear hunt for the ages–or aged,” Game Fish Publications, July/August 2013
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
- First Place: Matt Soberg, “A huckleberry grouse tale,” Ruffed Grouse Society magazine, May 15, 2013
- Second Place: Aaron Teasdale, “View with a room,” Sierra Magazine, July 2013
- Third Place: Nancy Sorrells, “New rides in King George,” Spokes, August 2013
Newspaper/News Website Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First Place: David Hendee, “Bighorns aplenty,” Omaha World-Herald, April 15, 2013
- Second Place: Brett Prettyman, “Monitoring their miles per talon,” The Salt Lake Tribune, June 9, 2013
- Third Place: David Hendee, “Making the sky safer for cranes,” Omaha World-Herald, April 1, 2013
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First Place: Brett Prettyman, “A lasting impression,” The Salt Lake Tribune, July 7, 2013
- Second Place: Brent Frazee, “Holiday far from the city,” Kansas City Star, Nov. 15, 2013
- Third Place: Marc Folco, “Adventures in Maine moose hunts,” The Standard-Times/southcoasttoday.com, Nov. 10, 2013
Fishing Category
- First Place: Bob Frye, “Fly fishing for muskies not for faint of heart,” Tribune-Review, March 17, 2013
- Second Place: Brent Frazee, “Still landing the big ones,” The Kansas City Star, April 28, 2013
- Third Place: Tom Stienstra, “Sturgeon guarantee in Oregon,” San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate.com, Nov. 20, 2013
Gear/Technical Category
- First Place: Brett Prettyman, “Gear up and chill out,” The Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 10, 2013
- Second Place: Brett Prettyman, “Next year’s top gear,” The Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 10, 2013
- Third Place: Bob Frye, “Westmoreland County man develops new deer calling system,” Tribune-Review, Sept. 15, 2013
Humor Category
- First Place: Bob Frye, “Not-so-smooth criminals,” Tribune-Review, July 14, 2013
- Second Place: Pat Wray, “Oh, boy the bearskin rug is here,” Corvallis Gazette-Times, Oct. 24, 2013
- Third Place: Marc Folco, “Everything, and more, you wanted to know about deer urine,” The Standard-Times/Southocoasttoday.com, Dec. 15, 2013
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
Sponsored by the National Rifle Association
- First Place: Kris Millgate, “A century outside,” Post Register, Oct. 10, 2013
- Second Place: Tom Keer, “BVA program strives to preserve precious hunting heritage,” Daily Local News, Sept. 17, 2013
- Third Place: Mark Freeman, “2 percenters,” Medford (Ore.) Mail Tribune, Oct. 11, 2013
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
- First Place: Jackson Landers, “Dancing with black widow spiders,” The New York Times, Sept. 16, 2013
- Second Place: David Hendee, “Capturing Yellowstone,” Omaha World-Herald, Aug. 13, 2013
- Third Place: Mark Freeman, “Nike,” Medford (Ore.) Mail Tribune, April 12, 2013
Blog Contest
Conservation or Nature Category
Sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts
- First Place: Matt Miller, “Saved by chance: The incredibly strange story of the Pere David’s deer,” Cool Green Science, Sept. 23, 2013
- Second Place: Matt Miller, “Lose the memory, lose the fish,” Cool Green Science, Nov. 4, 2013
- Third Place: Candice Gaukel Andrews, “Soundscape ecology: A real conservation tool or exercise in nostalgia?”, Good Nature Travel, the blog of the World Wildlife Fund and Natural Habitat Adventures, April 23, 2013
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First Place: Steve Zakur, “The second to last summer,” sippingemergers.com, Aug. 6, 2013
- Second Place: James Smedley, “Tackling the turtle,” Northern Ontario Travel Website, Summer 2013
- Third Place: Dave Barus, “Fearless fishing kids defy rain,” Erie County Federation of Sportsmen website, June 8, 2013
Fishing Category
- First Place: Stephen Zakur, “Steelhead Camp,” sippingemergers.com, Nov. 20, 2013
- Second Place: Bob Bramblet, “No secrets,” www.bonitabobfishing.com, August 2013
- Third Place: David Barus, “War veterans fish Lake Erie,” http://www.castawaycharters.net/heroes/fishing-with-heroes, Aug. 5, 2013
Gear/Technical Category
- First Place: Marty Basch, “Camp cooking,” ActionHub.com, Aug. 29, 2013
- Second Place: Tom Keer, “Steer with a homemade drogue,” TakeMeFishing.org, Nov. 26, 2013
- Third Place: Robert Ford, “Stuff,” Blackwelder’s Outfitter Journal, Oct. 13, 2013
Humor Category
- First Place: Marty Basch, “Dewing it on the slopes,” OutdoorHub.com, Jan. 25, 2013
- Second Place: Stephen Zakur, “The fishing was hell,” sippingemergers.com, Jan. 10, 2013
- Third Place: Robert Ford, “The Easter bunny and beagles,” Blackwelder’s Outfitter Journal, March 26, 2013
Hunting or Shooting Sports Category
Sponsored by the National Rifle Association
- First Place: Robert Ford, “Old leather,” Blackwelder’s Outfitter Journal, June 7, 2013
- Second Place: Robert Ford, “Down in the ghetto,” Blackwelder’s Outfitter Journal, Feb. 22, 2013
- Third Place: Mark Herwig, “The gun dog lifestyle,” Pheasants Forever website, The Nomad Blog, Sept. 3, 2013
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
- First Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Fathers and friendlies,” The Clymb, July 4, 2013
- Second Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Maasailand manifest,” The Clymb, Sept. 1, 2013
- Third Place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “The constancy of change: Seeing with fresh eyes,” You Can Sleep When You’re Dead blog, May 16, 2013
Column Contest
Overall Category
- First Place: Marc Folco, “Honoring Sadie one last time”, “Explaining the hunter’s psyche”, “Nothing boring about life in a treestand”; The Standard-Times/Southcoasttoday.com
- Second Place: Emily Stone, “The Smell of rain”, “Mosquitoes”, “Inhale beauty, exhale gratitude”, Sawyer County Record
- Third Place: Pat Wray, “Not Learning from Newtown leads to another tragedy”, “Be careful what you say, especially about cats”, “Not all hunters speak the same language”; Corvallis Gazette-Times
Book/E-book Contest
General Audience Category
- First Place: Hank Shaw, “Duck, Duck, Goose: Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Ducks and Geese, both Wild and Domesticated”
- Second Place: Thomas R. Pero, “A Passion for Grouse”
- Third Place: Leonard Lee Rue III, “Whitetail Savvy”
Children’s Story in a Newspaper, Magazine or Web Product Contest
Overall Category
- First Place: Michael Furtman, “The scoop on bills,” Puddler magazine, Spring 2013
- Second Place: Michael Furtman, “The eyes have it,” Puddler magazine, Fall 2013
- Third Place: Dave Barus, “Sunshine kids find fishing fun at Teach-Me-To-Fish,” Erie County Federation of Sportsmen website, April 29, 2013
Illustration/Graphic Contest
General/Overall Category
- First Place: Sam Caldwell, “Big surf, big sky, big fish on,” Currents, Texas CCA newsletter
- Second Place: Sam Caldwell, “Deep red structure,” Currents, the Texas CCA newsletter
- Third Place: Bruce Cochran, “Marsh Madness: ‘Face it, Chuck…’,” Wildfowl magazine
Photography Contest
Action Category
- First Place: Gary Kramer, “Fighting pheasants,” 2013 Pheasants Forever calendar
- Second Place: Gary Kramer, “Northern pintail and mallard,” Ducks Unlimited, May/June 2013
- Third Place: Ann and Rob Simpson, “Running doe,” Nature Guide to Shenandoah National Park, 2013
Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category
Sponsored by Realtree
- First Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Flathead River Camp,” Bike magazine, November 2013
- Second Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Triple roots,” Bike magazine, November 2013
- Third Place: James Smedley, “Perch fishing,” Sault Star, April 6, 2013
Fauna Category
- First Place: Mike Wintroath, “Landing gear down,” Arkansas Wildlife calendar issue, July 2013
- Second Place: Marie Majarov, “Yellow-necked caterpillar,” Virginia Wildlife magazine, May/June 2013
- Third Place: Mike Wintroath, “Rainbow bliss,” Arkansas Wildlife calendar issue, July 2013
Flora Category
- First Place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “Summer’s gift, avalanche lilies, Glacier National Park,” fine art print, Aug. 30, 2013
- Second Place: Larry Stone, “Milkweed and caterpillar,” art print
- Third Place: Michael Furtman, “Pretty white water lillies all in a row,” Northern Wilds magazine, August/September 2013
Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category
- First Place: James Smedley, “Kayaking Superior,” Northern Ontario travel website
- Second Place: Michael Furtman, “Raptor release: Birding at Hawk Ridge,” Midwest Living magazine, October 2013
- Third Place: James Smedley, “Turtle River,” Northern Ontario travel website
People Category
- First Place: Aaron Teasdale, “Fire lookout fisheye,” Sierra Magazine, June 2013
- Second Place: Bill Vanderford, “Cowboy at Vista Verde Ranch,” Lakeside magazine, November 2013
- Third Place: Gary Kramer, “Shooting at flushing bobwhite quail,” 2013 American Sportsman Calendar – Hunting Dogs & Upland Birds
Scenic Category
- First Place: Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, “Raven’s nest on Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park,” 2013 National Geographic National Parks and Landmarks Wall Calendar
- Second Place: David Schneider, “Valley spirit,” http://www.fringe.com, fine art shows, April 2013
- Third Place: Ken Dunwoody, “Morning mist,” Dec. 4, 2013
