OWAA OUTDOOR VOICES
Use Your Outdoor Voices
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OWAA 2026 Excellence in Craft Contest: How to enter your work
It’s that time of year again! Leaves are changing color, temperatures are dropping, and OWAA’s Excellence in Craft Contest is open! Enter your work in the 2026 Excellence in Craft Contest today. If it is your first time hearing about OWAA’s Excellence in Craft Awards, we invite you to take a look at last…
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Writers who changed outdoor journalism: The founding of OWAA
It could be fair to say the eight people who put their names on the statement creating the Outdoor Writers Association of America had little idea what the fledgling organization would become or that it would last as long as it has. Their collective interest was elevating the status of outdoor writers, which they felt…
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Dinner in Chicago, 1927: The night outdoor writers founded OWAA
By Phil Bloom First in a series Do a Google search on quotations about history and you’ll find plenty of people reflecting on the subject. For instance, British statesman Winston Churchill said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou said, “The…
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Meet OWAA member Annika Hipple
Annika Hipple is a freelance writer and photographer who has covered outdoors-related topics for Lonely Planet, BBC Travel, Atlas Obscura, Sierra Magazine, Northwest Travel & Life, Bats Magazine, and many other publications. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Sweden, she was raised in the Boston and Stockholm areas and now lives in Seattle, Washington.…
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After Helene, the outdoor community rebuilds
Blue Ridge Paddling after hurricane Helene. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Paddling. Media members of OWAA touring the new home of Blue Ridge Paddling in July of 2024 were duly impressed. The recently-completed, lodge-like building in Erwin, Tennessee was bright, airy and full of light. There was ample space for retail. Boats, paddles, throw bags,…
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7 tips to planning a whitewater rafting trip around Chattanooga, Tennessee
Come for the conference, stay for the adventure. This August 19–21, the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) is bringing its annual conference to Chattanooga, Tennessee — and if you’ve ever needed an excuse to combine work and play, this is it. Nestled between mountains and the Tennessee River, Chattanooga is a hub for outdoor…
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Nine best waterfalls near Chattanooga
With so many options, we’ve decided to put together a list of the largest and most spectacular outdoor waterfalls in the area. We’re talking big, tall, powerful waterfalls; every falls on this list features at least 50 feet of free-falling water, and some considerably more than that. Here’s our top nine. How many have you…
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Think like an advertiser and sell your idea
Anybody who thinks radio is made up of talk-show hosts, “too-cool-for-school” disc jockeys and an endless supply of music really doesn’t know a lot about broadcasting. Radio is about one thing: money. If station management can make money playing automated reggae music, then that’s what it will do. When the national and local advertising money…
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OWAA members make the trek to the Keweenaw Peninsula for Snowventure
What happens when you take eight outdoor journalists from across the country and ship them off to a winter wonderland? A great time, new friendships, and most importantly, LOTS of great stories! This past February, Visit Keweenaw hosted eight of our OWAA members in an epic experience they called Snowventure. Along with a couple members from Pure Michigan’s marketing…
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Paddling to Maclellan Island: A guide to accessing Chattanooga, Tennessee’s urban wilderness
JOIN US AUGUST 19-21 AT THE 2025 ANNUAL OUTDOOR MEDIA CONFERENCE IN CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE! Smack dab in the Tennessee River between Chattanooga’s bustling Riverfront and vibrant Northshore district, sits an 18.8-acre island that’s easy to overlook. Maclellan Island is a refuge for wildlife and offers a unique experience for hiking, camping, and views of Chattanooga. And it’s…
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What I learned from a National Geographic photographer in Idaho
More than 25 years ago, I learned an invaluable wildlife photography lesson when I had the good fortune to partner with a couple of seasoned photographers preparing to work a ferruginous hawk nest in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in southwest Idaho.James P. Blair, a National Geographic photographer, was on assignment…
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The eyes have it! Mastering the art of animal photography
Want to shoot great wildlife photographs all the time? It can be done by strict adherence to one hard, fast rule: “The eyes have it.” Photography is all about the eyes, especially the eyes of the subject. Eyes are much more than the windows of the soul. So much so that the manner in which they are rendered in a photograph or painting…