Ohio Outdoor News takes home awards from annual writing contest

Cambridge, Ohio — Writers for Ohio Outdoor News performed well in the 2025 craft writing and photography contest sponsored by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio (OWO).

Prizes were awarded to top writers and photographers in the state at OWO’s annual banquet in late April in Cambridge, Guernsey County.

Ohio Outdoor News Editor Mike Moore took home three awards in the news writing and columnist categories. Moore earned first place in column writing for Ohio Insider, which appears on the opinion page in each edition of the every-other-week publication.

Moore also earned a first place award in the news writing category for a story published last year on a nearly 9.5-pound largemouth bass caught on northeast Ohio’s Nimisila Reservoir by angler Will Lutes. Moore also took second place in the category for a story about John and Dan Welch’s quest to help John catch a 50-inch muskie. John, who sadly recently passed away, was successful in catching a big muskie with the help of his son, Dan.

MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTDOOR NEWS:

Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit wants sturgeon on Endangered Species List

Wisconsin’s Casting for Kids Fishing Tournament to pass $1M raised to fight cancer

How to fish those tricky, multi-species jerkbaits

Ohio Outdoor News Contributing Writer Jane Beathard took third place in the news writing category for a story on the rise of the black bear population in Ohio.

Beathard swept the best feature story category, taking first place with a story on the newly established Buckeye State Tree Nursery. Beathard also earned second place in the feature category for a story about the retirement of former ODNR Division of Wildlife fisheries chief Scott Hale.

In addition, frequent Ohio Outdoor News Contributing Writer John Hageman took home multiple writing awards for work that appeared in other publications in 2025.

Judges for the writing and photography competition were media professionals from outside of OWO.

Hazel Freeman, who has been OWO’s president since 2023, received the Lou Klewer-George Laycock Award for exceptional service to OWO. This award is the highest honor a member can receive from the organization and is named for two distinguished OWO past presidents.

Outdoor Writers of Ohio is an organization of writers, photographers, podcasters, authors, and other outdoor communicators. It handles Ohio’s state record fish program.

For information, visit https://outdoorwritersofohio.org/.