Jack O’Connor was the undisputed dean of outdoor writers, a world class big game hunter, wildlife conservation pioneer and influential gun editor. Born in 1902, he presided over the “golden age” of modern big game hunting and left a rich legacy through his writing and leadership.  Despite his death in 1978, his work remains fresh and continues to inspire hunters of all ages. His special contribution, in a wide and long list of accomplishments, was in educating hunters about wild sheep and sheep hunting.

To honor Jack, the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center and the Wild Sheep Foundation are introducing the Jack O’Connor Writers  Award.  This is an annual award to be presented to the author of the best published article about wild sheep, with special focus on hunting and/or conservation. The winning author will receive a bronze bust of the legendary writer, sculpted by world renowned sculptor Jack Logozzo, especially for this contest.  It will be personalized to the recipient with the winner’s name and contest date. The presentation of this award will be at the Wild Sheep Foundation “Sheep Week,” in Reno, Nevada, January 6-9, 2022.

Contest Rules and Regulations

Contest Purpose: To promote ethical hunting and conservation of North American Wild Sheep.
Preferred Content: Non-fiction articles including photo essays related to sheep hunting and/or sheep conservation. Articles about hunting gear, rifles etc. will not be considered. The content should reflect the standards of the award’s namesake, Jack O’Connor, the dean of North American sheep hunters and outdoor writers.
Preferred media: As Mr. O’Connor was first and foremost a magazine writer; articles written for national and major regional magazines will be given preference.
Entry Fees: No entry fee is required, and all rights shall remain the property of the author.

General Rules: By submitting to the contest, the entrant agrees to abide by all contest rules.

• All entries must be original works by the entrant under his or her name, in English. Plagiarism, which includes the use of third-party written or spoken works, without written permission, will result in disqualification.
• The contest is open only to those works which have been professionally published or produced for payment or donated in the case of charitable or conservation organizations where payment is not normally rendered. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least eight cents per word, or at least 1,000 copies, or 1,000 hits or considered an in-kind donation to a conservation themed publication.
• To be eligible, entries must be works of non-fiction, up to 4,000 words in length. Poetry or works intended for children will not be considered.
• Entries submitted in hard copy must be typewritten or a computer printout in black ink on white paper, printed only on the front of the paper, double-spaced, with numbered pages. All other formats will be disqualified. Each entry must have a cover page with the title of the work, the author’s legal name, a pen name if applicable, address, telephone number, e-mail address and an approximate word count. Every subsequent page must carry the title and a page number, but the author’s name must be deleted to facilitate fair, anonymous judging. Entries submitted electronically must be double-spaced and must include the title and page number on each page, but not the author’s name. Electronic submissions will separately include the author’s legal name, pen name if applicable, address, telephone number, e-mail address and approximate word count. Every entry must include an original copy of the published article i.e., preferably the entire magazine with proof of the publication date. Electronically submitted entries must include a scan of the article in published form including the publication cover.

Mail-in entries should be submitted to:

Shirley Phillips, Director
Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center
P. O. Box 394, Lewiston, ID 83501

Electronic entries should be submitted to: Shirley Phillips at info@jack-oconnor.org

Returns and Delivery: Manuscripts cannot be returned after judging.

Entries must not require a delivery signature to receive them.

Contest deadlines and accepted publication dates: Entries must be received no later than November 1st, 2021. The winners will be notified no later than December 1st, 2021. The winner will be announced and publicly recognized during the 2022 Wild Sheep Foundation Convention.

Articles/essays published between January 1st, 2019 and October 1^st, 2021 are eligible for entry in the 2022 contest.

Judging: The judging panel will be appointed jointly by the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center and the Wild Sheep Foundation. The decisions of the judges are entirely their own and are final and binding.

Void by law: The contest is void where prohibited by law.

Prizes: The winner will receive a bronze bust of Jack O’Connor, sculpted by world renowned sculptor, Jack Logozzo especially for this contest and engraved with winner’s name and contest date. No other monetary consideration is implied or offered. There will only be one overall winner each year.