NYSOWA features several awards programs
Excellence in Crafts, Photography
NYSOWA offers its members two signature awards programs. The Excellence in Crafts Awards program annually award NYSOWA members for their winning contributions to newspapers, magazines and websites in a number of categories. Additionaly, book authors and those who work professionally in radio, TV, podcasts and lecturing as well as book authors are awarded on a bi-annual basis.
The Janice M. Keesler Memorial Photo Contest annually awards members who submit their photography works in a number of categories. Each year, the winners are published in a special NYSOWA Awards publication.
Read the 2021 Awards Publication
Deb Brosen – 2021 winner
Pass It On Award
In 2006, the “Pass It On” Award was initiated. It is encouraged and funded by Bass Pro Shops and iven annually to the writer who has done the most in the past year t
o help promote and “pass on” the outdoor heritage. This will be given each year to the mem- ber who has done an outstanding job through writing, mentoring program, or some other means, of passing on the concept to those people who might not have oth- erwise been introduced to out- door activities.
| Past recipients are: 2006: Al Benas 2007: Paul Schnell 2008: Ted Dobs 2009: Chris Kenyon 2010: Ed Noonan 2011: Bill Hollister 2012: Ron Kolodziej 2013: Ray “Spider” Hrynyk |
2014: Dave Barus |
Glen Sapir – 2021 winner
M. Paul Keesler NewYork Outdoor Citizen Award
The award was created in the name of one of NYSOWA’s most beloved and active members, M. Paul Keesler, the deceased co- founder of “New York Sports- man” magazine. Keesler, through his writing and publishing efforts, spent nearly five decades promot- ing and conserving the outdoor wonders and recreational oppor- tunities within New York state. The award recognizes an individual or organization that effectively has raised the public’s awareness of outdoor recreational opportuni- ties and conservation issues in the state.
| Award Winners: 2007: William Lloyd 2008: Dennis Money 2009: Bill Hilts, Sr. 2010: Bill Schwerd 2011: Dr. Nina Schoch 2012: Ed Feldmann (posthu- mously) 2013: Stan Pascoo |
2014: Leo Maloney |
Bill Hilts Jr. is the most recent recipient of the Hans Paller Award, in 2017
Hans Paller Award
NYSOWA’s highest honor. The Hans Paller Award, named in hon- or of NYSOWA’s founding father, is only given periodically to an individual who has devoted many years of outstanding service to the organization.
The following mem-bers have been honored with the Hans Paller Award: Bill Hilts, Sr., Scott Sampson, Paul Keesler, Bob McNitt, Leo Maloney, Bill Hilts, Jr