Jul 20, 2018 2 min read

At its annual conference held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, June 2-4, The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) named Ben Moyer of Farmington as its 2018 Excellence in Craft Award recipient. Moyer, whose outdoor columns appear in the Herald-Standard, has written about nature, outdoor recreation and conservation issues in local, state and national publications for more than three decades. The OWAA Excellence in Craft Award, initiated in 1971, is given to one OWAA member annually to honor “outstanding effort in upholding the OWAA Creed and continued excellence in craft throughout a career.”

“The OWAA Creed commits our members to accuracy, fairness, clarity and ethics in our words. Our recipient this year is, indeed, a writer that reflects all those qualities stated in the creed,” said OWAA past-president Tom Huggler in presenting the award.

Moyer also won a second-place in OWAA’s 2018 writing competition honoring members’ work in magazines, newspapers, books, television, video media and on-line writing. Moyer’s winning entry appeared in the Herald-Standard on June 17, 2017 titled “Laurel Highlands a likely place to encounter state symbols.” It won second-place in the “Newspaper-Fishing” category.

Headquartered in Missoula, Montana, the Outdoor Writers Association of America has a membership of 800 professional writers, film-makers and broadcasters representing every U.S. state, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. OWAA’s stated mission is: To improve the professional skills and opportunities for members, set the highest ethical and communications standards, encourage public enjoyment and conservation of natural resources, and mentor the next generation of professional outdoor communicators.