Columnist, photographer Mike Lunsford recognized at conference
Apr. 16—Tribune-Star columnist Mike Lunsford was honored in February for his writing and photography skills at the 55th annual Hoosier Outdoor Writers conference at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Lunsford received a total of six "Excellence-in-Craft Awards" for his writing, including four first place awards for his stories, "Jim Nardi and the 'little things that make the world,'" "Every snake is different," "A walk with our friend, Scag," and "A pilgrim at Raccoon Creek."
"This was no small feat since the judges for the writing portion of the contests represented some of the most accomplished judges we have ever had for the HOW writing contest," said HOW Executive Director Tom Berg in a news release. "The judges this year included past presidents of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, current and former outdoors editors from newspapers in major cities around the USA, a former editor of Outdoor Life magazine, college professors and communications staffers for government and non-governmental agencies."
Lunsford also received two awards in the photography division of the contest. His photos in the outdoor scenic ("Pretty as a Picture") and outdoor recreation ("On the Trail") categories scored third places.
Lunsford was also awarded the second place prize in the annual "Turn in a Poacher" writing contest, sponsored by the Citizen's Advisory Board and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for his column, "Why would we not want to protect them?"
The HOW excellence-in-craft awards are sponsored by Toyota Motor Company. The Hoosier Outdoor Writers group was formed in 1969, and members are dedicated media professionals who are interested in the wise use of natural resources in the Hoosier State.
