President’s Message
Newsletter : February – March 2021
Well, it’s about that time again when everyone should be reviewing their work from 2020 and selecting their best submissions for entry into OWAC’s annual Excellence in Craft (EIC) contest. The contest is coming up quick!
The EIC recognizes the best work of media professionals covering California’s outdoors in the fields of outdoor journalism and media communications. It provides a chance for everyone to enter their best work from the previous year for awards and recognition in 15 different categories.
New this year … some big and positive changes! The OWAC Board of Directors is offering cash prizes for the top places in each category, as merited by the adjudication panel, and digital certificates. This is in addition to the pride and prestige of recognition by the leading organization of outdoor media professionals in the West.
1st prize = $75
2nd prize = $50
3rd prize = $25
And entering the contest will be easier than ever! Thanks to the hard work of OWAC’s web and digital guru, Gigi de Jong, the entire program (both submissions and judging) will be conducted online and hosted on a new digital platform (Judgify.me).
Once open for submissions, members will directly upload their stories, photos, websites, etc. No need like in the past to make multiple physical copies of each entry to then package up and submit via mail. Instead, for each entry members will just create one submission for each entry with all personal and distinguishing attributions removed, as much as possible. Don’t worry, each submission is tied to your contest registration and we’ll know who owns what. Only the contest administrators will know contestants’ names and the judges will see only the work. Judges will review and objectively judge each entry individually based upon set criteria, score each entry, and their results will be available immediately to the EIC contest committee. Once the judging is complete, results will be tabulated and winners will be determined.
OWAC’s board members tried a test run of the process recently, both to try entering our own work and to assess the judge’s experience. Everyone found both processes to be super easy and quick with very few hiccups.
Normally, all winners would be announced during OWAC’s annual spring conference. However, since we will not have a spring conference this year, each winner will first be notified directly, and then broad announcements of all winners will be promoted via local media outlets for each winner, social media and on OWAC’s website.
Stay tuned for all the details coming out soon! The EIC Contest will run from Monday, March 1st, 2021 until the final deadline on Thursday, April 15th, 2021 when submissions will close. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 1st, 2021.
All the best!
Carrie Wilson
OWAC President
