Welcome to OWAA’s Submittable homepage!
Here, you will find guidelines for our various contests, scholarships, and fellowships linked below. Guidelines will also be posted at the bottom of the page when the corresponding contest or scholarship officially opens.
Excellence in Craft Contest
Please review the updated rules, regulations and procedures for each category here as approved by the Board of Directors.
The entry process for the EIC Contest opens November 1. The book deadline is December 1. For all other entries, the early bird deadline is midnight (Eastern Time) January 15 and the fee per entry is $15 through that date. The fee increases to $25 per entry after that date and the final deadline is midnight (Eastern Time) on January 31. Click here for complete guidelines and to apply
Norm Strung Student Writing Contest & OWAA Student Photography Contest
These contests will start accepting submissions November 15, 2026.
OWAA Bodie McDowell Scholarship
This contest will start accepting submissions on January 1, 2027.
OWAA John Madson Fellowship
This contest will start accepting submissions on January 1, 2027.
If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to info@owaa.org.
Thank you for your interest in the Outdoor Writers Association of America!
The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) annually sponsors the Bodie McDowell Scholarship program to support tomorrow’s communicators.
Named in honor of a former OWAA president, the scholarships reward outstanding undergraduate and graduate students who are involved in and preparing to devote a substantial amount of their life’s work in outdoor writing, radio and television, wildlife photography, art, lecturing or video and film making.
Ideal candidates are talented communicators with outdoor interests who can demonstrate a record of accomplishment in and commitment to the fields of outdoor communications.
This is a competitive awards process. Each candidate should have clear, significant goals in outdoor communications, examples of work and letters of recommendation. Judges look for applicants with talent, promise and firsthand outdoor knowledge. Applications are rated on clarity, organization and originality. Grade-point average is also considered but is not among the top three selection criteria.
Many past scholarship winners have become well-known professionals, including the first recipient who later became president of OWAA.
Scholarship distribution varies, but individual awards can range from $1,000 to $5,000. Awardees also receive a complimentary one-year student membership in OWAA.
Your first step is to create a FREE Submittable account, which allows access to the Bodie McDowell Scholarship application form. Applications must be submitted using this online form.
The Bodie McDowell Scholarship Fund is an endowment that thrives primarily through member contributions and fundraising efforts to support the annual grant. Funds are invested and managed by OWAA Endowment trustees. Donations to the fund can be made at https://owaa.org/store/donation/.
(If you experience technical difficulties completing this form, please contact support@submittable.com or info@owaa.org.)