Four Ontario OUT of DOORS writers have been awarded five 2021 Outdoor Writers of Canada Awards for the magazine.
Senior Editor Gord Ellis, Assistant Editor Steve Galea, Senior Reporter Jeff Helsdon, and contributor Tom Armstrong were recognized.
Ellis and Galea took second and third place, respectively, in the Magazine Column category, for “Closer to the outdoors” from the Nov.-Dec. 2020 issue and “Kiss and tell” from the 2020 Fishing Annual.
Armstrong won first place in the Magazine Feature – Hunting category for “Hare raising,” the Jan.-Feb. cover story.
Galea won second place in the Magazine Feature – Other category for “The good fight,” the cover feature from June 2020 on the loss and return of the spring bear hunt.
Helsdon won third place in The Future of Hunting in Canada Award for “Little wonder,” published in the May 2020 issue.
Contributors recognized
Editor/Associate Publisher Ray Blades was pleased so many OOD scribes were honoured.
“I feel our contributors are among the best outdoor writers in North America,” he said. “This continued tally of writing awards proves their peers agree.”
OOD contributors also won for their work elsewhere.
Helson won first place in The Ducks Unlimited Canada Award in Conservation, as well as third place in the Magazine Feature – Other category for “Ruffed estimates,” published in Canadian Wildlife.
Contributor James Smedley won first place in the Magazine Feature – Fishing category for “The power of a single steelhead,” published in Lake Superior Angler.
He also won several photography awards, including second place in the Fish and Wildlife category for Moose Crossing, published in Northern Ontario Travel.
Smedley also won first and second place in the Scenery, Landscape, and Plants category for “Artist on the landscape and on the landscape,” from the same publication, as well as second place for “Wilderness river paddle” from the 2020 Algoma Travel Guide.
Nearly 120 entries assessed
Judges evaluated 117 submissions in 14 categories, awards chair Adam Patterson stated on Wednesday, June 23.
“Thank you to all of the judges who volunteered so many hours to evaluate the submissions, and a very special thank you to our sponsors, Shimano, Hornady, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Benelli, Delta Waterfowl, and Canadian Shooting Sports Association,” he wrote. “Support from our sponsors and the dedication of our judges continues to raise the bar for outdoor communications in Canada.”
For more information on the Outdoor Writers of Canada, click here.
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