MISSOULA, Mt. — Andy Whitcomb of St. Petersburg, Pennsylvania, was recognized as an award recipient during the 2016 Outdoor Writers Association of America Excellence in Craft Contests.
This annual awards program recognizes and honors the best work of outdoor communicators who are members of OWAA. This year, 64 individuals took home over $13,000 in cash prizes. For more info, visit owaa.org/eic.
His awards:
First place in the conservation or nature category of the Blog contest for “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” Take Me Fishing Blog, June 22, 2015. The conservation category recognizes pieces with an emphasis on successes or challenges within conservation; interesting new discoveries within nature; or a fascinating tale about a creature, plant or ecosystem. The prize money for this category was sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Third place in the gear/technical category of the Blog contest for “Physics of Fishing,” Take Me Fishing Blog, May 11, 2015. The gear/technical category pieces must be informative about gear or instructional in how to use outdoor equipment in an entertaining yet easy-to-understand manner.
Andy Whitcomb is an avid angler and stressed out father of two, currently chasing steelhead, pike, and smallmouth bass in Western Pennsylvania. He has a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University, experience as a fisheries research technician with OSU, Iowa State University, and Michigan State University, as well as knowledge from assisting at fish hatcheries in Colorado and Iowa.
His freelance writer has appeared in outdoor magazines including Oklahoma Today, Pennsylvania Boater and Angler, and Farm and Ranch Living and contributed 15 articles to www.espnoutdoors.com. Since 2011, he has been a writer for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s centerpiece, www.takemefishing.org, sharing a unique perspective on all things related to fishing, with over 220 consecutive weeks of posted material. A collection of his articles, columns and stories can be found in his ebook, “Just Keep Reeling.”
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.
