Do you guide salt?
Have you ever fished salt?
Are you planning on fishing salt at some point in your life?
If you’re an AFFTA member guide and you answered yes to any of these, then we want your story. And to sweeten the pot, your story could be worth $1,000. Yes…one thousand bucks.
Here’s what we’re looking for:
Conserving the resources that sustain our livelihood takes a community. We’re all indelibly connected by fish and the water in which we find them – both fresh and salt. At the end of the day, the health of both is up to us to protect. And guides are on the front-line of that effort.
For those of you who make your living on the salt, or who are drawn to it out of passion or jones (is there a difference, really?), or who have designs of eventually making the pilgrimage to whatever saltwater mecca haunts your dreams, tell us where that love or daydream comes from. Tell us about your fishery, ideal destination, favorite species. But most importantly, much like our freshwater ethos and efforts, tell us why healthy ocean fisheries and ocean conservation is important, especially in our home waters off our own coasts.
The prize:
Authors of the top three (3) essays, as selected by our esteemed panel of judges, will each receive a $1,000 gas card and possible publication.* Think about how much an extra grand will help ease the pain at the pump from filling your rig.
Guidelines:
• Contest runs from October 1, 2018 – October 31, 2018
• Winners will be announced by Monday, December 17, 2018
• Essays should not exceed 750 words in length
• Save and send your essay as a Word file, not a PDF
• Submissions will only be accepted via email to matt.smythe@affta.org
• Include “Essay contest submission” in the subject line, with your full name and title of your essay in the email body. Do not put your name in the Word document with your essay.
• Please do not send any images with your submission
• Contest is open to all current AFFTA member guides regardless of affiliation with salt- or freshwater. AFFTA Board members are ineligible.
• If you are not a member guide, you can still participate in this contest by joining AFFTA (annual membership dues are $35). The benefits of becoming a member alone are worth the dues, let alone a shot at $1,000.
Learn more and become a member by clicking here
The judges:
Brandon Shuler – Director, Outdoor Writer’s Association of America
Chris Hunt – Digital Media Director, Trout Unlimited
Jason Rolfe – editor, the Fly Fish Journal
Jen Ripple – editor, Dun Magazine
Tom Bie – editor, The Drake
Kirk Deeter – editor, Trout, F&S and Angling Trade
Questions? Clarifications?
Feel free to drop an email to AFFTA Communications Director, Matt Smythe, at matt.smythe@affta.org
* AFFTA reserves the right to publish any of the essay submissions, in whole or in part. Publication is not guaranteed and will be at the discretion of AFFTA and any media partners.