LOWA member Joe Macaluso and has been going
on for several years. All of the winners received cash
awards and certificates for their accomplishments.
The Safari Club is the generous sponsor of the
entire Journalism Contest, donating cash to all
three places in each category as well as a banquet
ticket. There are two writing divisions: Junior Essay
is open to boys and girls ages 7-13; Senior Essay is
for writers ages 14-18. Essays must be an original,
unpublished writing about a personal experience
while hunting, fishing, boating, camping, hiking, or
other related outdoor activity. Essays must be 3001,000 words long, and must be typed, preferably
with double-spaced lines.
The Photography Division includes boys and
girls ages 7-18. Photos must be an original, unpublished black-and-white or color photo. Submitted
photos must be 4x6 inches, 5x7 inches, or 8x10
inches, and must be center-mounted on an 8x10
inch board. Each entry must have name, age,
school, home address, and home telephone number attached at the top of the essay or photo. If
possible, please furnish an e-mail address. The top
three and honorable mentions in each category receive cash prizes.
Awards go to Senior Essay, Junior Essay, and Photography.
The Senior Essay winners are: Reese Blakeney,
Leesville; Robby Ferrante, Covington; and Bradford
Morrison, Natchitoches.
The Junior Essay winners are William Morrison,
Natchitoches; James Corley Sanders, Jena; and
Cameron Balfantz, Maurepas.
This year’s top photographers are: Ava Lemoine,
Baton Rouge; Bradford Morrison, Natchitoches and
Robby Ferrante, Covington.
The winners of the 2015 LOWA Fish of Year
were also given plaques and recognition. The
awards are selected by LOWA from the previous
year’s new entries into the Louisiana Fish Records
for the rod and reel division as well as the fly rod division.
This year saw an unusual tie for the award, as
Tim Champagne of Lafayette along with David Pre-
vost of Schriever received the 2015 Fish of the Year
award in the Rod & Reel Division. Champagne’s
18.63 pound gray snapper (mangrove) caught in
Ship Shoal is not only a new state record, but also
qualified for a new IGFA World Record. Prevost’s
246.63 pound tarpon caught in the West Delta also
qualified for a new state record.
In the Fly Fishing Division, Victor Tedesco of
Houma was presented the award for his feat of
landing a new 1st place 46.04 lb. alligator gar
caught off of Fifi Island near Grand Isle.
For entry information to each of the categories, go to www.laoutdoorwriters.com
and click on the bottom of the page for
each contest.