MISSOULA, Mont. – The Outdoor Writers Association of America awarded 12 Norm Strung Youth Writing Award prizes totaling $1,400.
 
The annual contest, sponsored by Majesty Outdoors, has categories for outdoor poetry and prose in two divisions: junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12). First-place winners in all categories received $200, second-place winners received $100 and third-place winners received $50. This year’s winners are:

Junior Poetry

• First place: "The Lucky Snag," by Joel Braden Robertson, Kirbyville, Missouri
• Second place: "Breathe," by Ally Whorton, Kirbyville, Missouri
• Third place: "A Deer's Morning Graze," by Zach Burton, Kirbyville, Missouri

Senior Poetry

• First place: "33°15′23″N 116°23′57″W," by Miles Johnston McInerney, San Diego, California
• Second place: "Cricket Song," by Riley Levine, Blauvelt, New York
• Third place: "The Monarch of the Forest," by Landis Blubaugh, Bellville, Ohio (Ohio Outdoor News)

Junior Prose

• First place: "Sharing the Heritage," by Eva Aycock, Owasso, Oklahoma (Oklahoma Safari Trails)
• Second place: "Big Eight," by Lydia Bennett, Manchester, Michigan (Michigan Outdoor News)
• Third place: "Sharing the Heritage," by Kellen Cansler, Woodward, Oklahoma (Oklahoma Safari Trails)

Senior Prose

• First place: "A Better Squirrel Dog," by Reese Blakeney, Leesville, Louisiana (LOWA website)
• Second place: "A Letter to Grandpa," by Cricket Wuebker, Minster, Ohio (Ohio Outdoor News)
• Third place: "Buck Fever," by Anna Pearsall, Colbert, Washington (The Spokesman-Review)

Winning entries from this year’s contest will be printed in the December/January issue of Outdoors Unlimited, OWAA’s magazine.

The deadline for next year’s entries is March 15, 2019. For complete contest rules and more information, visit http://owaa.org/programs/contests/norm-strung-youth-writing-awards. 

The Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest was named after Norm Strung, who served as OWAA president in 1984-1985. Now deceased, Strung received OWAA’s Excellence in Craft award in 1989. In 1988, Strung was the Ham Brown recipient for service to OWAA. That same year, he organized and edited a book for OWAA titled “Selling the Outdoor Story.” He was also recognized as the Outstanding Board member in 1975.

Thank you to our 2018 contest sponsor:  OWAA is The Voice of the Outdoors®. The Outdoor Writers Association of America® is the oldest and largest association of professional outdoor communicators in the United States. It was organized in 1927 by members of the Izaak Walton League of America and includes professional communicators dedicated to sharing the outdoor experience. OWAA’s professionals include writers, photographers, outdoors radio- and television-show hosts, book authors, videographers, lecturers and artists. The association is headquartered in Missoula, Montana. For more information, contact Outdoor Writers Association of America, 615 Oak St., Ste. 201, Missoula, Montana. 59801; 406-728-7434, info@owaa.org;www.owaa.org.