NEW YORK STATE OUTDOOR WRITERS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES WRITING, PHOTO AWARDS

Webster, N.Y.—Professional communicators from across New York State, ranging from veteran pros to a high-school student, took honors in the annual Excellence in Craft Writing Awards and the Janice M. Keesler Memorial Photo Competition, announced at the annual conference of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association (NYSOWA), held in Webster, N.Y.
Panels of judges from outside the organization scored the entries, which were presented to the judges anonymously.
“The judges of the writing competition ranged from a teacher to a writer to an avid reader,” said Leon Archer of Fulton, N.Y., who chaired the Excellence in Craft Competition Committee. “Despite the different disciplines they represented, their scores for the winners were quite consistent.”
The cream, it seems, rose to the top. Perhaps the most surprising winner was Richard Demarte of White Plains, N.Y. His article, “Giving Back: Investing in the present and the future,” in Nor’east Saltwater Magazine, July 2009,” took first place in the Magazine Feature category. The surprise is in the fact that Demarte is a student at White Plains High School.
Other first place prize winners in the writing competition were Angelo Peluso of Port Jefferson, N.Y., for his Magazine Column, “The Salmon of Knowledge,” in Fish Alaska Magazine; Glenn Sapir of Putnam Valley, N.Y., for his Newspaper Column, “Big Game Hunt in Newfoundland Yields a Wiser Perspective,” in The Journal News; Mike Lynch of Saranac, N.Y., for his Newspaper Feature, “Fran, the White House Is on the Phone,” in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise; and Leo Maloney of Sherrill, N.Y., for his Online Entry, “Lessons Learned on a Small Trout Stream,” at Fish NY.com.
Three highly respected New York photographers from outside NYSOWA judged anonymously presented photographs in five categories. Two members shone as first-place winners in two categories. Dan Ladd of West Fort Ann, N.Y., finished on top in the Hunting & Fishing and Outdoor Recreation categories; Zeno Hromin of Westbury, N.Y., took first in both the Outdoor Scenic and Published Photography categories. Leo Maloney of Sherrill, N.Y., took first place in the Wildlife category.
First-place winners in both competitions received handsome duck decoy awards. Second- and third-place finishers received cash awards.