At its 52nd annual conference, held in Lakeland, Fla., October 5-8, the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) recognized winners in its Excellence in Craft competition, which is sponsored by Mossy Oak. First, second, and third place winners were announced in ten categories.
The various categories were well entered by many prestigious outdoor communicator members. Most judges are non-members and are blinded as to the identity of the entrants. One judge remarked, “The overall quality and clarity of writing was extremely strong.” This statement can be applied to all the categories in the competition.
(Left to Right) Kevin Tate of EIC Sponsor Mossy Oak with winners of the Photography category: Mike Giles, Tes Jolly and Keith Sutton. Photo by Joella Bates.
Among the organization members recognized for their professional accomplishments were a number of multiple winners. They included Jim Ferguson for earning first and second places in the Audio (Radio) category. Ron Jolly garnered both first and second places in the Video category. Mike Giles won first place in both the Photography and Conference Site Story categories. Matt Markey won the Sharon Rushton Award and placed second in the Daily Newspaper category. Richard Simms won first place in the Magazine (Long), second place in the Weekly Newspaper, and third place in the Outdoor Entrepreneur Project categories. Keith Sutton placed first in the Daily Newspaper and third in the Photography categories. Jim Casada earned second and third places in the Conference Site Story, second in the Magazine (Short), second place in the Outdoor Entrepreneur Project, and third place in the Weekly Newspaper categories. A complete list of winners and their entries can be found here.
