OWAA leadership, staff, and outdoor media professionals continue to be inspired by the quality of outdoor writing and photography submitted by budding outdoor communicators. And it’s more than just words and images on a page.
“The contest isn’t just about the writing or photography,” said OWAA’s Executive Director Chez Chesak.
“It’s about inspiration. It’s about encouraging the next generation to get outside, enjoy the outdoor experience and tell their story in their chosen medium.”
Behind each contest submission, there’s a young writer or photographer sharing a personal outdoor experience with a broader audience. They connected with the outdoors in a way that made them want to share it with the world. And whether it’s a young photographer who hiked to a waterfall or a writer who traveled to a place outdoors to feel something and then translate those feelings into words, both share a common denominator that a lot of us relate to — a love for our shared outdoor spaces.
To encourage young writers in communicating the outdoor experience, OWAA offers annual cash awards and a year-long complimentary student membership.
Congratulations to the 2023 award winners! The full writing submissions will be published in the Winter 2024 issue of Outdoors Unlimited magazine in early February 2024.
2023 Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest Award Winners:
High School
First Place: Alicia Wythe-Bickel, “Quail”
Second Place: Sharon Chau, “Bending Nature”
Third Place: Tommy Eliot, “The Alaskan Frontier”
College
First Place: Kylie Baker, “Sea Turtle Conservation Internship”
Second Place: Ben Jones, “Winter Woodcock”
Third Place: Valentina Epifanov, “Water”
OWAA Photo Contest Winners
High School Photography
First Place: Calvin Grover
Second Place: Ava Christophers
Third Place: Makena Vass
College Photography
First Place Tie: Skizzi Huffman
First Place Tie: Emily Harrison
Second Place: Jewell Stillman
Submit your work!
2024 Norm Strung Youth Writing Awards and OWAA Student Photo Contest
Through the Norm Strung Youth Writing Awards and the OWAA Student Photo Contest, OWAA rewards budding North American writers and photographers who capture the outdoors.
Cash prizes are awarded to first-, second-, and third-place winners in both categories, split over two age groups (high school seniors and juniors and college students). Entries must have been created the last calendar year. Entries are judged by outdoor media professionals and winners are announced in May. Prizes for all categories are awarded as such:
- 1st – $200
- 2nd – $100
- 3rd – $50
Each winner will also receive a year-long OWAA Student Membership and have their story/photo published in OWAA’s award-winning magazine Outdoors Unlimited.
To learn more about the Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest, click here. To learn how to apply for the OWAA Student Photo Contest, click here.
Entries may be submitted between September 1 and January 31 via OWAA Supporting Group Submittable.com. When submissions are open each year, you can enter work here here.