Excellence In Craft Contest Competition

More than $30,000 was awarded to members in 2010. You can't win if you don't enter!

Annually, OWAA's Contest Committee administers the Excellence In Craft Awards program. OWAA media members may enter their best works from the previous year in the competition. Seventeen competition categories are available.

The judging for each category is conducted by an independent panel of judges who are experts in the category field they are judging. The winners of the competition are announced at a special event held during the annual conference. Plaques and cash prizes are awarded.

The complete list of 2010 contest winners was published in the June issue of Outdoors Unlimited Online.

The 2010 EIC submission deadline has passed. Thank you for entering this year's contests, we hope you submit entries next year!

Thank You 2010 EIC Contest Sponsors

A heartfelt thank you goes out to this year's contest sponsors including Coleman Co., Ducks Unlimited, Outdoor Channel, Realtree and Sierra Club.

OWAA’s Excellence in Craft (EIC) contests are a lucrative benefit, available exclusively to OWAA members. At OWAA’s 2010 conference in Rochester, Minn., thousands of dollars in prizes will be awarded to OWAA members. These prizes are made possible by OWAA’s contest sponsors, companies and organizations that generously agree to support the EIC contests and OWAA’s members. OWAA appreciates the support of its contest sponsors and would like to recognize the 2010 sponsors, who are profiled below. Questions about the contest or interested in sponsorships? Contact OWAA headquarters.

Realtree is the home of America’s most versatile camo patterns. No matter where you hunt or enjoy the outdoors, there’s no better way to blend in to your surroundings than by wearing Realtree or Advantage. Realtree has been actively involved in the conservation of wildlife and preservation of habitat. The company’s on-going commitment includes the support and sponsorships of conservation groups whose goals, messages and efforts closely mirror Realtree’s own. More at www.realtree.com/about/conservation.php.

The Coleman Company is the world’s leading manufacturer of camping and outdoor recreation equipment, including the legendary Coleman lantern and camp stoves, plus coolers, jugs, tents, sleeping bags, outdoor furniture, cookware, electric lights and backpacking gear. Coleman also provides expert advice on adventure gear. Coleman’s motto is “The Outdoor Company,” and Coleman encourages people everywhere to enjoy the outdoors and is an advocate for the protection of everything the outdoors has to offer. Visit www.coleman.com.

With nearly 800,000 members throughout North America, Ducks Unlimited (DU) is a volunteer, grassroots-based organization. DU has a single mission: to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. Since DU was launched in 1937 by a small group of sportsmen, the group has mobilized funds and organized conservation efforts to conserve more than 11 million acres in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Visit www.ducks.org.

Founded by outdoorsmen for outdoorsmen, Outdoor Channel features quality programming designed to educate and entertain sportsmen of all skill levels. The channel promotes the traditional outdoor activities that are a vital part of our national heritage including fishing, hunting and shooting sports. The programs are designed to appeal to "traditional sportsmen" of all ages with a focus on activities that the entire family can enjoy in the great outdoors. Visit www.outdoorchannel.com.

Since 1982, the Sierra Club has been working to protect communities, wild places and the planet itself. Founded by John Muir, Sierra Club is the oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. Its mission: To explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives. Visit www.sierraclub.org.

Norm Strung Youth Writing Awards

$1,700 awarded to youths in 2010

Outdoor Writers Association of America helps budding writers via its annual Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest. Cash prizes are awarded to winners in grades 6-12 for poetry and prose categories. 2010 awards will total $1,700, thanks to 2010 Youth Writing sponsor Safari Club International. If you know a student who would like to enter the contest, rules are found below. 

Currently accepting entries for the 2011 contest (the 2010 contest is closed). Eligible entries must be published during calendar year 2010. The Norm Strung Youth Writing contest deadline is March 15, 2011.

2011 Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest Rules

1. The work must have been published in a newsletter, newspaper, magazine, literary collection, etc. during 2010. The publication can be school or club related, or commercial.
2. At the time the article was published or accepted for publication, the author must have been a student in grades 6-8 to enter the junior division; grades 9-12 (including prep school) to enter the senior division.
3. The topic must be outdoor oriented (hiking, camping, boating, fishing, hunting, nature, ecology, canoeing, etc.). Any prose or poetic form is acceptable.
4. Entrants must submit one original published copy (tear sheet) of the entry. The tear sheets must contain the publication name and date. A cover sheet needs to include the entrant’s address and grade in school at the time of publication. If these criteria are not met, the entry will be disqualified.
5. Students may enter as many pieces of writing as they wish; however, each student will be limited to one prize per annual contest.
6. Deadline for receiving entries is March 15, 2011. Send entries to OWAA Headquarters, 121 Hickory St., Ste. 1, Missoula, MT 59801. Mark the lower left hand side of the envelope with the division for which the entry is intended (“Junior” or “Senior”), and for the category (“Prose” or “Poetry”).
7. OWAA will announce the winners at its annual conference. OWAA reserves the right to reprint the winning articles in its monthly publication.

The 2010 Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest
was sponsored by Safari Club International
and the Safari Club International Foundation

2010 Norm Stung Youth Writing Competition Winners

Sponsored by Safari Club International.

The Norm Strung Youth Writing Committee announced the winners of the 2010 Norm Strung Youth Writing Competition, sponsored by Safari Club International and the Safari Club International Foundation. The contest honors outstanding writing by junior high and high school students. This year’s total payout was $1,700.

The contest has categories for poetry and prose in two divisions: junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12). Entries must be outdoors oriented and already have been published in a newsletter, newspaper, magazine, collection, etc. Cash awards and certificates are granted for both divisions.

Senior Poetry

• First  Place: “The Naturalists” by Erica Berry (Portland, Ore.)
• Second Place: "First Hunting Adventures" by Kaitlyn Rabaey (Marshall, Minn.)
• Third Place: "Gone Huntin'" by Nathan Kennedy (Rensselaer Falls, N.Y.)
  

Senior Prose

• First Place: “Answer” by Michael J. Cambareri Jr. (Lacona, N.Y.)
• Second Place: “Another Pheasant Tale” by Kimberly Moy (Cokato, Minn.)
• Third Place: “John Muir: America's Most Famous Environmentalist” by Staphanie Erin Sykes (Madison, Wisc.)

Junior Poetry

• First Place: “Wild Turkey Surprise” by Caroline Priore (Kenyon, Minn.)
• Second Place: “Things are Changing” by Stephanie McMillan (Independence, Iowa)
• Third Place: "Hardly Seeing, but Always KNOWING" by Kelly Parker (Jefferson, N.Y.)
  

Junior Prose

• First Place: “My First Bird (And a Decoy!)!” by Cole Meade (Seaman, Ohio)
• Second Place: “My Hunting Trip” by Cody Kennedy (Prairie du Rocher, Ill.)
• Third Place: “Journey to Carmen Lake, Alaska” by Tiancheng Sun (North Potomac, Md.)