Ohio Outdoor News writers take home haul of writing awards – Outdoor News

Port Clinton, Ohio — Writers whose work appeared in Ohio Outdoor News over the past year made a nice haul in the annual Outdoor Writers of Ohio (OWO) craft improvement contest, sponsored by the Ohio Marine Trades Association.

The awards were handed out at the annual OWO spring conference, held this year in late April at Camp Perry on the shores of Lake Erie.

Ohio Outdoor News Editor Mike Moore and contributing writers Jeffrey L. Frischkorn, John Tertuliani, Maggie Kelch, and Jane Beathard all took home writing honors.

In the environmental writing category, Beathard took a second place for her coverage of the ongoing drilling on state-owned properties.

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Tertuliani earned an honorable mention in that same category for a story about the reintroduction of sauger by the ODNR Division of Wildlife into Lake Erie.

In the best newspaper feature category, Kelch and Tertuliani both earned honors. Kelch’s story, which received a second place nod, detailed how her grandson “hit the fishing lottery” at Cold Creek in Castalia for the annual draw. Tertuliani’s third place story detailed the history of the Bowie knife.

In the category of best how-to article, Tertuliani won a second place award for a story headlined “Want the perfect rifle? Build your own,” which appeared in Ohio Outdoor News last fall.

Beathard’s blog titled “Boating in Death Valley” about kayaking in Death Valley National Park out West earned a first place honor in the internet blog category. Beathard is one of four bloggers whose work is published exclusively on the Ohio Outdoor News website.

In the best newspaper article category, Ohio Outdoor News took the top two spots and had a pair of honorable mentions in a hotly contested category.

“Strong competition here among five strong entries, all of which required re-reading, some deliberating, and hair-splitting for top honors,” the judge in this category wrote.

Frischkorn took first place with a story headlined “Invasive spotted lanternfly showing up in Northeast Ohio.”

“This one takes the cake because it is a well-written, deep dive, well-researched piece on what is (perhaps) Ohio’s latest invasive species threat,” the judge wrote.

Moore earned second place for a story about David Edwards, a Central Ohio groundhog hunter who has killed 12,000 woodchucks and counting. The “Buzzard Man” story appeared in Ohio Outdoor News in late 2024.

Beathard and Tertuliani earned honorable mentions in the best newspaper article category for stories on Ohio bear research (Beathard) and Tertuliani for a story headlined “Memories of long ago opening days.”

In the best newspaper column category, Moore earned first place for his Ohio Insider column that appears on each issue’s opinion page. Each entry consisted of three columns that appeared in a publication in 2024.

“Three great columns about diverse, in-the-news topics,” the judge wrote.

Frischkorn’s Trails End column in Ohio Outdoor News was given a third place award.

“Fun reads all, for different reasons each,” the category judge wrote.

Frischkorn also earned a first place honor in best newspaper special section or series for stories pertaining to the lake trout’s comeback in Lake Erie.

“A lesson in history and biology woven into a compelling story,” the judge wrote of Frischkorn’s work.

OWO annually holds a spring conference at rotating locales around the state. Members of the group compete in an annual craft improvement contest to highlight the work they’ve published over the previous year.

Next year’s conference is being planned for the Cambridge/ Guernsey County area.

Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2025/05/06/ohio-outdoor-news-writers-take-home-haul-of-writing-awards/