Each year NOWA holds an Excellence in Craft Contest for it’s members. Contestants submit their best works to a panel of professional writers and photographers to be judged. It’s a great contest and some winners took away more than $450 in prize money!
Normally, winners are awarded their prizes at the Awards Banquet held during the annual Conference. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown, our 2020 & 2021 conferences were cancelled. We look forward to having a conference in 2022.
Some Winning Photos:
2020 Contest Winners:
| Category Name | Place | Author | Title | Publication |
| Column of the Year | 1 | George Krumm | Creel | Fish Alaska Magazine |
| 2 | Dennis Dauble | In the Woods | East Oregonian | |
| 3 | John Kruse | Washington Outdoors Report | Syndicated / Various | |
| Fishing, Newspaper | 1 | Matt Liere | Freedom To Do – Fishing | The Spokesman-Review |
| 2 | Terry Otto | Stellar Sturgeon Fishing | The Columbian | |
| 3 | Dennis Dauble | Building Family Memories | Walla Walla Union Bulletin | |
| Fishing, Magazine | 1 | Glenn Zinkus | Sean Dahlquist Champion Steelhead Flies | Fly Tyer |
| 2 | Dave Kilhefner | Catching Bigger Fish in Alaska | Fish Alaska Magazine | |
| 3 | Dave Kilhefner | Drift Fish Like a Pro | Salmon Trout Steelheader | |
| Fishing, Web-Blog | 1 | Brad Trumbo | Alaska Coho on the Fly | Harvesting Nature |
| 2 | Brad Trumbo | Small Stream Fishing GW Nat’l Forest | Tenkara USA | |
| Hunting, Newpaper | 1 | Alan Liere | The Pond – Much more than… | The Spokesman-Review |
| 2 | Alan Liere | Waterfowl Jewelry | The Spokesman-Review | |
| 3 | Alan Liere | Now That’s Civilized | The Spokesman-Review | |
| Hunting, Magazine | 1 | Alan Liere | The First Bird After | Upland Almanac |
| 2 | Glenn Zinkus | Plumed Speedsters | Upland Almanac | |
| 3 | Gary Lewis | Dark Timber, Troubled Thoughts | Game & Fish | |
| Hunting, Web-Blog | 1 | Brad Trumbo | Pursuit of Eurasian Collared Dove | Duck Camp |
| 2 | Brad Trumbo | Outsmarting River Bottom Roosters | Harvesting Nature | |
| Travel Camping Rec, Newspaper | 1 | Brad Trumbo | Winter Birding Brings Nature to All | The Times |
| 2 | Brad Trumbo | Wilderness Hues | The Times | |
| 3 | Terry Otto | Digging Snow Camping | The Columbian | |
| Travel Camping Rec, Magazine | 1 | Bert Gildart | Bicycling an American Classic | Airstream Life |
| Travel, Web-Blog | 1 | Bud Journey | Yaak Valley Embodied | Global Outdoors |
| 2 | Randy Bonner | Corvallis Spring Foraging | VisitCorvallis | |
| 3 | Randy Bonner | Festive Foraging | VisitCorvallis | |
| Managing our World | 1 | Bert Gildart | Following Ancient Sheep Migration Arc | Airstream Life |
| 2 | Randy Bonner | Roadkill Salvage Permit | Northwest Sportsman | |
| 3 | Glenn Zinkus | Troubled Waters | Fly Fisherman | |
| Humor | 1 | Alan Liere | The Devil Craft | Upland Almanac |
| 2 | Alan Liere | Sleeping with the Princess | Upland Almanac | |
| 3 | Gary Lewis | The Shelf Life of Bears | Oregon Hunter | |
| Video | 1 | Gary Lewis | Bear on Sheep Mountain | Successful Hunter |
| 2 | Richy Harrod | Kokanee Kraze | Harrod Outdoors, YouTube | |
| 3 | Gary Lewis | Diamond Lake Tiger Trout | Frontier Unlimited/Pursuit Channel | |
| Audio | 1 | John Kruse | WDF Director Kelly Susewind Explains | Northwestern Outdoors Radio |
| 2 | Cam Parry | Restoring the Rogue | Hooked on Oregon Radio | |
| 3 | Cam Parry | 40th Anniversary of Mt St. Helens | Hooked on Oregon Radio | |
| Photo, People | 1 | Brad Trumbo | Small Stream Tenkara | Union Bulletin |
| 2 | Glenn Zinkus | Fish On – North Andros | Saltwater Fly Fishing Calendar | |
| 3 | Brad Trumbo | Spey Skills | The Times | |
| Photo, Fauna | 1 | John McFarland III | Mule Deer | Oregon Hunter |
| 2 | Bud Journey | Crouching Grizzly | Global Outdoors | |
| 3 | Brad Trumbo | Foothill Mule Deer | East Oregonian | |
| Photo, Outdoors | 1 | Dennis Dauble | Casting with a Ghillie | Fly Fishing & Tying Journal |
| 2 | Terry Otto | Take A Hike | The Columbian | |
| 3 | Joe Warren | Bluewater Fly Rods | Fly Fishing & Tying Journal |