Excellence in Craft winners lauded at spring conference

The Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association presented its the annual Excellence in Craft Awards at spring conference banquet held Saturday, May 20 at the Ramada by Wyndham State College Hotel & Conference Center. Awards Chair Brad Isles presented first-place awards to 18 winners across a total of eight Core Award and 21 Specialty Award categories. Overall, 45 members submitted a total of 342 entries across a combined 228 categories.

POWA CORE AWARDS

Best Newspaper Column (sponsored by Bob & Linda Steiner)
• Winner: “Humphreys, Daniel and Fly Fishing’s Past, Present and Future” by Brian Whipkey, published in the Daily American, Aug. 27, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Jaws revisited 47 years later” by Tom Tatum, published in the Daily Local, Sept. 6, 2022.

Best Newspaper Feature (sponsored by Pennsylvania Hunters Sharing the Harvest)
• Winner: “Plight of the Firefly” by Linda Stager, published in the Juniata Sentinel, July 6, 2022.
• Runner-up: “The Silent Places” by Wade Robertson, published in The Bradford Era, June 15, 2022.

Best Magazine or Regional Newspaper Column (sponsored by POWA EIC Entries)
• Winner: “Compound, Crossbow, Classic” by Tyler Frantz, published in Pennsylvania Game News, February 2022.
• Runner-up: “A complete I-80” by Marshall Nych, published in International Game Warden Magazine, Fall 2022.

Best Magazine or Regional Newspaper Feature (sponsored by Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen & Conservationists)
• Winner: “Deer Wars: The Pennsylvania Deer Controversy 20 Years Later” by Steve Sorensen, published in Deer and Deer Hunting, September 2022.
• Runner-up: “The Hunted” by Timothy Flanigan, published in Covers magazine, Summer 2022.

Best Published Newspaper Photo, Color or Black & White (sponsored by POWA Past Presidents)
• Winner: “Long Walk to Water” by Tyler Frantz, published in the Pottsville Republican Herald, Oct. 8, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Wildlife Romance” by Dave Wolf, published in the Dillsburg Banner, Feb. 10, 2022.

Best Published Magazine Photo, Color or Black & White (sponsored by POWA EIC entries)
• Winner: “West Branch Life – Fox Kit” by Linda Stager, West Branch Life, Winter 2022.
• Runner-up: “Woodcock Flight” by Timothy Flanigan, Covers Magazine, Summer 2022.

Best Book Award (sponsored by POWA EIC entries)
• Winner: “River Boots: A Fish Warden’s Tales of Pennsylvania Fish and Game Law Enforcement” by Bob Steiner.
• Runner-up: “Echo: Living Wild with the Orions” by Ron Rohrbaugh Jr.

Best Published Art Award, Color or Black & White (sponsored by POWA EIC entries)
• Winner: “Spring Challenge” by Gerald Putt, Pennsylvania Game News Cover, April 2022.
• Runner-up: “Back of the Mountain: Radiant Passage” by Linda Stager, Mountain Home Magazine, October 2022.

POWA SPECIALTY AWARDS

POWA Pass it on Award (sponsored by PA Environment Digest)
• Winner: “Kids, Sports, Hunting, and a Proud Father” by Brian Kightlinger, published in Crossbow Magazine, Summer 2022.
• Runner-up: “Kidding around in the turkey woods” by Steve Piatt, published in The (Sayre) Morning Times, April 28, 2022.

Wildlife Conservation Partnership Award (sponsored by the Pennsylvania Game Commission)
• Winner: “The Muck” by Alex & JoAnne Zidock, Out in the Open TV, May 22, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Donations of dough, as well as bucks and doe, allow HSH to continue feeding the needy” by Doyle Dietz, published in the Pottsville Republican Herald, Sept. 24, 2022.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Raptor Conservation and Eco-Tourism Award (sponsored by Hawk Mountain Sanctuary)
• Winner: “The Fall Migration is Underway” by Charlie Burchfield, published in the Ridgway Record, Oct. 28, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Searching for Kestrel Clues” by Bob Frye, published in Pennsylvania Game News, July 2022.

The Pennsylvania Elk Resource Award (sponsored by the Keystone Elk Country Alliance)
• Winner: “The Elk Experience, Pennsylvania Style” by Ben Moyer, published in Pennsylvania Outdoor News, Oct. 14, 2022.
• Runner-up: “PA’s Elk County Success Story” by Charlie Burchfield, published in the Ridgway Record, Oct. 28, 2022.

Best Action Hunting, Trapping or Fishing Photograph (sponsored by POWA EIC entries)
• Winner: “Moment of Truth” by Joseph J. Faux, published in the Pottsville Republican Herald, June 11, 2022.
• Runner-up: “His Life’s Passion” by Ben Moyer, published in the Uniontown Herald-Standard, April 3, 2022.

Best Conference-Related Material Award (sponsored by POWA EIC entries)
• Winner: “POWA – Tioga County” by Alex & JoAnne Zidock, Out in the Open TV, May 26, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Writer gets ‘sucker punched’ on Little Pine Creek” by Tyler Frantz, published in the Pottsville Republican Herald, June 4, 2022.

Best Published Pennsylvania Fishing or Boating Related Newspaper Photo, Color or Black & White (sponsored by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission)
• Winner: “His Life’s Passion” by Ben Moyer, published in the Uniontown Herald-Standard, April 3, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Steelhead” by Marshall Nych, published in The (Greenville) Record-Argus, Oct. 2022.

Don Heckman – Tell the Story Award (sponsored the Pennsylvania Chapter of the NWTF)
• Winner: “Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey important for turkey population management,” by Doyle Dietz, published in the Pottsville Republican Herald, July 23, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Pennsylvania’s Feathered Heritage” by Timothy Flanigan, published in NWTF Pennsylvania’s Turkey Talk, Fall 2022.

Handloading Promotion Award for Broadcast Media (sponsored by Redding Reloading)
• Winner: “Easy Reloading with Brygider” by Alex & JoAnne Zidock, Out in the Open TV, Dec. 8, 2022.
• Runner-up: None.

Handloading Promotion Award for Electronic Media (sponsored by Redding Reloading)
• Winner: “Reloading your own ammo provides flexibility” by Charlie Burchfield, published at www.ridgwayrecord.com, Aug. 12, 2022.
• Runner-up: None.

Handloading Promotion Award for Print Media (sponsored by Redding Reloading)
• Winner: “The Hunter Handloader” by Jerry Bush, published in New York Outdoor News, Sept. 23, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Navigating the Reloading Component Shortage” by Mike Raykovicz, published in New York Outdoor News, March 25, 2022.

Outdoor Blog Entry Award (sponsored by POWA EIC entries)
• Winner: “Borderline Prospects – North Branch of Potomac offers fine trout fishing” by Tyler Frantz, published at naturalpursuitoutdoors.com, May 22, 2022.
• Runner-up: “How to Fit a Shotgun to You – Length of Pull, Comb Height, and Cast” by George Konetes, published at newhuntersguide.com, Nov. 11, 2022.

Pennsylvania Trappers Award (sponsored by the Pennsylvania Trappers Association)
• Winner: “Cubby Boxes” book by Rich Faler, published in 2022.
• Runner-up: None.

Trout and the Coldwater Resource Award (sponsored by Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited)
• Winner: “A number of species are naturally reproducing in Stonycreek River” by Brian Whipkey, published in the Daily American, Sept. 21, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Trout Unlimited needs you!” by Dave Wolf, published in The Dillsburg Banner, Aug. 18, 2022.

Lantz Hoffman White-Tailed Deer Award (sponsored by Karen Wolf)
• Winner: “Deer Wars: The Pennsylvania Deer Controversy 20 Years Later” by Steve Sorensen, published in Deer and Deer Hunting, September 2022.
• Runner-up: “The Quiet Hunter” by Lilace Mellin Guignard, published in Mountain Home Magazine, November 2022.

Wildlife Art Award (sponsored by Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art)
• Winner: “Two Grouse” by Michael Kensinger.

Young Trees Habitat Award (sponsored by the Upland Bird Hunt Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society)
• Winner: “Pains & Gains: A Greater Future for Grouse” by Bob Frye, published in Pennsylvania Game News, April 2022.
• Runner-up: “Winter Maintenance” by Charlie Burchfield, published in the Ridgway Record, Jan. 28, 2022.

Youth Fishing Award (sponsored by USA International Sportsmen’s Show and Outdoor Recreation & Travel)
• Winner: “The Golden Boy” by Marshall Nych, published in Pennsylvania Angler & Boater, March/April 2022.
• Runner-up: “A ‘great program’: Mentored youth trout fishing planned Saturday across Pennsylvania” by Brian Whipkey, published in the Daily American, March 23, 2022.

Youth and the Hunting/Shooting Sports Award (sponsored by Taurus Holdings Inc.)
• Winner: “I don’t know who was more excited” by Brian Whipkey, published in the Daily American, April 27, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Kids, Sports, Hunting, and a Proud Father” by Brian Kightlinger, published in Crossbow Magazine, Summer 2022.

Archery Award (sponsored by United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania)
• Winner: “Scoring Big Bucks: Pirate” by Brian Kightlinger, published at Global Outdoors, March 22, 2022.
• Runner-up: “Finding a peace in the fall rut” by Wade Robertson, published in the Olean Times Herald, Nov. 5, 2022.

Humor Award (sponsored by POWA EIC entries)
• Winner: “River Boots: A Fish Warden’s Tales of Pennsylvania Fish and Game Law Enforcement” by Bob Steiner, published in 2022.
• Runner-up: “Cup of Jo Momma” by Chris Espenshade, published in Wellsboro Gazette Buck Roster, Jan. 27, 2022.